Fly Me Away
by Olivia Dunham
Summary: Carlisle has discovered new research that spark the interest of the Volturi, who are already on the verge of killing them. When Esme is used as a test subject, things turn worse, especially when Jacob and his pals decide its time for a visit. . . .
1. Chapter 1

A fresh, rather thick blanket of snow had covered the ground overnight, covering the tracks that moved from the door to the driveway, where we had spent all of the previous day moving our possessions into the new house, settled not far from Anchorage, Alaska, in a small town no bigger than Forks had been. As usual, our house was set further back from the road, between trees, partially hidden from view. You'd never see it if you weren't distinctly looking for it.

It was abnormally quiet in the house - which had been completely set up during the night, so by the time the first few rays of light stretched over the horizon, glinting off Anchorage in the distance, the house was completely arranged to our liking.

"Esme, stop it already. I think you've rearranged that curtain three times now."

I looked up at my Carlisle, who was seated behind his desk in the room that had been transformed mostly into his study. The area by the window with the window seat was mine, set up to where I could paint what I saw out my window like I had often done before. I even had a few shelves among Carlisle's medical books to hold my favorite novels that I had collected over the years, and had never had the space for them. This house was much larger than the one had been in Forks, which everyone was grateful for. The house in Forks had begun to get a bit crowded.

"I want everything to look nice." I replied, and turned back to where I was attempting to pin the curtain back, so I'd have a better view of our backyard. A smile crossed my pale face as I saw Emmett and Jasper playing in the snow, wrestling. Edward, Rosalie, Alice, Bella, and Renesmee stood off to the side, watching with amused expressions on their face. But that didn't last long, as their play spread, and turned into an all out snowball war.

"They're trying to take Renesmee's mind off Jacob." Carlisle commented, coming up behind me to gaze out the window at our children. I hummed in response, knowing he was right. We'd been forced to leave Jacob behind, because he had to stay with his pack. But as soon as he could get away, he'd promised he'd come to visit, and bring Seth and Leah with him, That was, if they could stand the cold.

A snowball nailed the window right in front of me and I flinched slightly. Carlisle chuckled softly as I playfully glared at Emmett, the culprit. Reaching forward, I unlatched the window and threw it open, shifting so I could stick my head out.

I was met in the face with another snowball. That did it.

Ignoring Carlisle's laughing, I shook the snow from my face and hair, sitting on the window edge before leaping down, landing silently in the snow below. Two could play this game. The others had paused in attempting to get each other now, and were watching us. I'd never been considered one to join in any games except for baseball - which, I barely did anyway - but snow was one thing I loved to play in.

A small smile played at my lips as I bent down, digging my bare hand into the snow and scooping a handful up, packing it into a tight ball. I couldn't even feel the cold against my marble skin - which was a good thing, considering I only had a short sleeved shirt on, and a pair of jeans. The wind was blowing faintly, swirling snow off the ground and up around us.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you manners, Emmett?" I asked sweetly, stepping toward him. He chuckled, almost darkly, another snowball prepared in his hand.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you that you should watch your back?" He retorted, a knowing smirk across his face. Before I could even process that, a snowball hit me square in the back. With an almost playful snarl, I turned, and began to advance toward Carlisle, who had been the one to throw it this time. I didn't hesitate this time, instead ran after him, a sudden blur against the white landscape surrounding us. This seemed to be a kick-off, as the others soon became involved into their fight once more.

I heard the laughter filling the air - I couldn't have asked for a better family. We were finally complete, with the addition of Bella and Renesmee, and I couldn't have been happier. I couldn't wait for Bella to travel with us, and see the sights we'd seen all those years - France, Italy, Russia, England. Anywhere and everywhere we could go. Carlisle was already planning a trip sometime, but was going to wait since it had only been a year since Bella had joined the family, and we had just moved from Forks to Alaska.

I gained on Carlisle, leaping on his back and sending us both flying into a snow bank near the frozen river that wound behind the house and away from the town. I shoved the snowball into his face from behind as we went down, sending the powdery stuff flying.

"That was for hitting me with that snowball." I told him, then leaned down and gave him a lingering kiss.

"What was that for?"

"For being the best husband in the world."

"Hey! Stop making out in the snow!" Emmett groaned from somewhere toward the house and I giggled, sitting up, shaking snow from my hair as Carlisle sat up beside me.

"We weren't!" I protested in defense.

"We were about to." Carlisle muttered, but only to where I could hear. I stifled another laugh and got to my feet, extending a hand to help him up. He took the offered hand and dusted himself off, wrapping an arm around my waist as we headed back toward the house, where the others were already heading inside.

"Grandma, can I have hot cocoa please?" Renesmee asked sweetly the minute I had stepped back into the heat of the house. I glanced at Bella, who gave a slight nod in approval.

"Sure sweetie." I told the girl and scooped her up in my arms, balancing her on my hip as I split from Carlisle, heading for the kitchen. We kept some food in the house for when Jacob and his friends came over, and for Renesmee, who could never make up her mind if she wanted human or vampire food.

I sat her on the counter, grabbing the packets of hot cocoa from the cabinet after putting a pot of water on to boil. Renesmee watched me carefully, her legs dangling off the side of the counter, still wearing the coat and boots Edward had bundled her up in. She was half human, and even half humans still got cold. They didn't want to take any chances of her possibly even catching a cold.

"Let's get you out of these things, okay?"

She nodded and I pulled off her boots, setting them near the back door before unzipping her coat and peeling it away, tossing it over the back of one of the chairs at the small table in the kitchen. She continued to watch, almost fascinated as I made her a mug of hot cocoa - I almost wished I could drink it. I missed being able to eat chocolate.

"Marshmallows?"

"Yes please!"

I fixed her the mug of hot cocoa and made her wait a bit until it cooled before sending her back into the living room with it. I followed, finding Emmett had pulled Jasper into some sort of racing game - it looked almost violent as they used the steering wheel controllers, twisting this way and that on the couch. Edward watched with one raised eyebrow, every once in a while frowning. I shook my head - my boys.

"Rosalie and Alice took Bella to Anchorage to go shopping." Jasper announced, noticing me out of the corner of his eye, but never looking away from the game. I gave a nod - when weren't they shopping? But they had a new place to shop now besides Port Angeles, so I figured they had a right to. I was just glad Alice had Bella and Rosalie to go with her. I did like shopping, but not as much as Alice did.

Carlisle had apparently gone back to his study, so I followed his scent up the stairs, poking my head in. I frowned, noticing he was scribbling something furiously across a piece of paper, a rather determined, yet excited look on his face. I didn't dare interrupt, merely let him continue, stepping all the way into the room and silently shutting the door behind me. I watched him write - every moment or so he would pull one of his books on his desk toward him and flip to a page, studying something before going back to writing. It was quite odd - I'd never seen him in such a . . . a tizzy.

"Carlisle?" I finally broke the silence. For a long moment he didn't look up, but after that he seemed to realize I was standing there. His eyes were sparked with something that I couldn't quite place, but it had never been there before.

"Are you okay, Car -?"

"Carlisle!" Edward's shout from below but me clean off, and before I knew it my oldest son had appeared in the study. "Don't."

"Edward, calm down." He said in a calming tone. I glanced between them - apparently I was missing something.

"Carlisle, I can read your _mind_. You _can't_ do that. It's _dangerous_."

"I'm not going to do it. It's just research."

"Think of what Bella went through."

What on earth were they going on about? Both of them seemed to have forgotten I was in the room as well, so I merely listened to their conversation. It soon became one-sided, as Carlisle turned back to his work, but Edward continued to read his mind.

"I don't care."

_Scribble. Scribble_.

"Carlisle, I don't care if you're just experimenting. You can't do that to her."

_Scribble._

"I won't let you."

His pen hovered over a certain spot on the paper, but he didn't look up.

"Esme, please excuse us for a moment." He said finally to me. I frowned slightly, but didn't bother to argue, instead, slipping out of the study, completely confused. I wasn't sure I wanted to know what Carlisle was planning.

When I headed back downstairs, Emmett and Jasper were keeping Renesmee entertained. They glanced up at me as I approached.

"Either of you know what's gotten into Edward?"

"No, we were going to ask you the same thing." Jasper said, frowning. "They're both pretty pissed."

"As I just witnessed." I said quietly and sat down on the couch, tucking my feet underneath me as I reached for my sketchpad lying on the coffee table. My mind wandered as I began to sketch out a drawing of my two sons and Renesmee on the floor, coloring. What was Carlisle so worked up about, and why was Edward so upset about it? I'd hardly seen either of them like that before, and frankly, it made me concerned. I didn't like being left out of things either, which was another part that was really irking me. I almost wished I had Edward's gift to read minds.

It was a good solid two hours before I heard a door slam upstairs. Edward didn't return downstairs, but I could tell he had gone to his and Bella's room. Jasper's brow furrowed - apparently anger still rolled off Edward in waves. I didn't say a word, but continued to draw, my picture almost complete now as I shaded in Emmett's hair.

Not long after, the girls returned from their shopping adventure, laden with several bags. Alice was in the house first, and before I could even ask her what she had bought, she was up the stairs - I traced her to Carlisle's study. What was going on?!

"Did you girls have fun?" I asked Bella and Rosalie, who set their bags down, Bella picking up Renesmee as the girl tottered over to her.

"Until Alice decided we needed to cut it short because she needed to speak to Carlisle about something." Rosalie replied. I frowned.

"Funny. He and Edward just finished a shouting match." I replied. "She tell you why?"

"Not a word." Bella sighed and sat down beside me, balancing her daughter in her lap. Rosalie watched her husband put away Renesmee's coloring books and crayons, kissing his cheek as he passed.

"Odd." I mused. Something was going on, and I was determined to find out. It wasn't like Carlisle to keep things from me, and it wasn't like Edward to get into a shouting match with his father. Nor Alice to cancel a shopping trip halfway through.

Excusing myself from my family, I returned upstairs. I passed the floor that held Carlisle's study, heading up to the third floor that held Alice and Jasper's bedroom, as well as mine and Carlisle's. I headed for the latter, shutting the door behind me quietly. Like a dutiful wife, I'd wait for Carlisle to come to me, but he was going to tell me what was going on whether he liked it or not.

Night was falling already, and I knew as soon as it hit, Emmett, Rosalie, Bella, and Edward were going out to hunt, due back at dawn when Jasper, Alice, Carlisle, and I would leave. We went hunting almost in shifts anymore, just in case the Volturi decided to come back, and so someone was with Renesmee at all times. It was merely a precaution, but much more sensible than all of us going at once.

By the time Carlisle did make his appearance in our room, looking a bit weary, it was pitch black outside. I was curled under the blankets of our bed, reading. Our bodies allowed us no sleep, but during the night the house was much calmer. I usually read because Carlisle had frequent night shifts at the hospital, but other times, we spend the night . . . in other ways. Plenty of pleasurable ways, in fact.

"What book tonight?" He asked, kicking off his shoes and lying on top of the blankets next to me, his back propped up against the pillows.

"Pride and Prejudice." I replied. It was one of my current favorites. "It's nice having you home at this hour." I added, marking my page and curling into his side, merely taking in his scent. I could drown in it. Carlisle made my life complete - I couldn't imagine it without him.

"Won't be for long. I'm applying at the hospital in Anchorage soon." He murmured, his lips trailing across my neck. I sighed.

"Of course."

"Didn't you say you were going to apply for a job at the school?"

"I told you I was thinking about it."

"I think the kindergarten could use your creative talents." He mused. I merely hummed in response. Silence fell between us as he rubbed small circles on my back. If I had been able to, I would have fallen straight to sleep. Instead, I shut my eyes, pretending that I could, my fingers playing with his tie before I spoke.

"Are you and Edward fighting?"

He tensed slightly.

"No."

"Funny. You two seemed quite upset with one another. What was it over?"

"Nothing important. Just some work he didn't quite approve of."

"Uh-huh." I said and shifted to where I sat between his legs, my back against his chest. I reached for my book and opened it to where I had left off. We did this often - he would read over my shoulder, every once in a while offering some sort of commentary. It usually made me smile, but tonight, I was still rather upset that he was hiding something.

"So what about you and Alice?" I pressed after a long moment, and we had read several pages.

"Hm?"

"She came home halfway through her shopping trip, because she'd seen a vision. She went to your office - she didn't look happy."

"Oh." His tone of voice had changed. It was more guarded as he carefully chose his next words. "She just saw an accident at the hospital I'm going to be working at. I'll be able to prevent it." He assured me, reaching from behind to flip the page we'd both been staring at for the past few minutes while we talked. I sighed softly - I could tell when Carlisle was lying, and now was one of those times. But I didn't say anything - not once had we ever fought over something in our marriage. Disagreed once or twice, and I didn't want something as silly as this to turn into a fight.

"Glad she could do so." I replied and I felt him relax slightly, leaning up to rest his chin on my shoulder, reading from behind. He hummed in response, carefully moving to draw the book out of my hands.

"I think we should use the time that we have while we're both home." He said softly in my ear, being careful to mark my page before setting my book on the bedside table. My lips curled up into a slight smile.

"I am inclined to agree with you, Mr. Cullen."

"Glad to hear it, Mrs. Cullen."

**. . .**

Before dawn reached us, Emmett, Rosalie, Bella, and Edward returned, their eyes the lightest topaz they could possibly be. Carlisle and I had already redressed and changed into more suitable clothing for hunting, and met Alice and Jasper downstairs. We would be heading away from any sort of town or city, out into the cold wilderness. Not that I minded - I sometimes enjoyed the quite solitude of hunting, as it gave Carlisle and I more time away from the kids.

The four of us traveled side by side for a long while, until we could no longer sense any human presence. Only animal. Alice and Jasper split off to head east, allowing Carlisle and myself to continue north.

"Don't Tanya and the rest of her coven live up here somewhere?" I inquired, breaking the silence between us as we slowed to a fast walk, not making a sound as we moved across the thick blanket of snow, our target the herd of American Bison up ahead. It was a small herd, as there weren't many in Alaska, but one for each of us would subdue our hunger for a while.

"Somewhere not far. I think perhaps we should visit her sometime." Carlisle replied and I nodded in agreement. Even though Irina had not been the best, I didn't necessarily blame Tanya and the others for her misdeeds. We were still on good terms with each other.

The herd came into view and at the same time, we crouched down, silent predators. While our children often made it a game of who could catch the most, Carlisle and I made it merely a race, to see who could take one down first. Many had ended in ties, but I think we were about even on the score after these many years.

Letting my instincts take over in one of those rare times, I sprang forward, leaping into the air and coming down in the middle of the bison. They barely had time to even realize we were upon them before I sank my teeth down into one, their skin and fur merely tissue paper against my teeth. The blood flowed freely from its body and into mine, flooding me with renewed strength and quenching my hunger.

The bison collapsed as I drained the last of its blood. The rest of the herd was long gone now, galloping across the snow farther out, afraid we might bite into them next. I reached up and carefully wiped what little blood had gotten on the corners of my mouth - at least I was much cleaner about my kills than the others in my family.

"Point to me." I announced as Carlisle straightened, his own dead bison laying at his feet in the snow. Carlisle glared playfully.

"I don't think so. I took mine down before you."

"You did not."

"Did so."

I folded my arms across my chest as he approached, pressing a quick kiss to my lips - he tasted of the same blood I had just ingested.

"Fine. But it's a pity point - I'm ahead." I replied with a small shrug. He eyed me suspiciously.

"Last time I checked I was ahead."

"Carlisle Cullen, are you calling me a liar?"

"Not in so many words." He responded, a teasing smile. It made me almost forget he was still hiding something, keeping it from me. I still hadn't mentioned it again, and didn't have plans to. He'd tell me in his own time - last time he'd tried keeping something from me, he'd come clean three days early. It'd been when he'd bought the island for me. He'd bought it for my birthday one year, and he'd whisked me off to it three days before schedule.

He'd crack eventually.

Jasper and Alice met up with us almost at the exact point we had broken off, their eyes light in color to match our own. We ran in silence back toward the house, reaching it just before noon.

"Esme?" Rosalie asked carefully only a few moments after we had stepped through the door.

"Hm?"

"Can you help me? I was, uh, going through some old photos I found in a box upstairs and wondered if you'd help me put them into a scrapbook?" She continued. Renesmee tugged at her dress hem.

"I help too!"

"Of course you can." I told her, ruffling her curls. As I followed a few oddly acting Rosalie upstairs, I noticed the others moved toward the dining room. Odd.

Rosalie took me to her and Emmett's room, where piles of old pictures sat, near a pile of what I assumed to be empty scrapbooks. We sat on the floor in a circle, and I pulled a stack toward me.

"I wondered where these went." I said, frowning slightly when I recognized the faded black and white photographs. Most were of Edward, Carlisle, myself, and Rosalie together as a family, and eventually they expanded to include Emmett, and then Jasper and Alice. The newer ones were recent photos with Bella, and even a few with Renesmee. Others were photos of the various places we'd been, the houses we'd lived in, and other vampires we'd met over the years - Alice had gotten a little camera happy over the years.

"So - this isn't a ploy to keep me from a family meeting is it?" I asked suddenly, after only about fifteen minutes of sorting photos. Rosalie jumped, clearly distracted.

"Hm? Of course not. I just needed help. You're the most creative one." She replied smoothly. I almost wanted to believe her.

Almost.

It nearly stunned me that what seemed like my entire family was keeping something from me. I didn't like it, and I wanted to know.

"Rose, what am I being left out of?"

"Nothing. Dad just had to explain a few things to the others that didn't involve us. So I figured we'd do something while they were having their little . . . gathering." She gave a shrug, carefully placing an older photo on the page she was currently working with. She frowned, and then removed it, picking up another.

"What's he explaining?"

She gave another shrug. "Not entirely sure. He's been doing a lot of research though."

I glanced at her, then toward the door, struck with a sudden thought.

"Stay here." I stated and got to my feet, instantly by the door. Rosalie seemed to be following my pattern of thought, and joined me by the door.

"No way. Not without me."

"I'll be right back. Stay with Renesmee." I nodded toward the girl on the floor, looking up at us curiously. Rosalie glanced between the two of us, but gave a curt nod. I was out the door in an instant, following the stairs as quietly as I could up to the top floor.

I had never gone through Carlisle's things without his permission. I'd never had the reason, but my curiosity was getting the better of me. And I was losing my patience with him, for not telling me. I'd quickly glance at what his research said - if it even had anything to do with the conference going on below - before returning to Rosalie and Renesmee and pretending it had never happened.

I was inside his study in an instant, and on the other side of his desk. Of course, none of his papers were left out, so I opened the drawer nearest to me. More medical books. I opened another. Hospital forms that held no interest.

Finally, in his bottom drawer, I found several notes in his hand writing. I scanned the first page, my lips parting slightly before dipping into a frown. I read the second page, and then the third, my mind reeling at the information presented to me. I could see why he wanted to hide it now, why he had yet to tell me about -

"Esme?"

I didn't have time to pretend like I was only looking for a pen. Clutching the notes in my hand, I steadily met Carlisle's gaze. He looked at me with a blank face - I hated that I couldn't read his expression.

"What are you doing?" He asked, although I had a feeling he already knew.

"Is this all true Carlisle?" I held up the notes. He never broke his gaze with me. "Will it work?"

"Its research, Esme."

"You couldn't have told me?"

"I didn't want to give you false hope." He replied weakly.

"Carlisle, if this works . . . ."

"Well, we're not going to find out. We've just had a meeting about it downstairs - the vote is no." He stated firmly and was suddenly in front of me. He pulled the papers from my hand and stuffed them back into his drawer, shutting it before gently laying his hands on my shoulders. I met his gaze once more.

"Carlisle -."

"No Esme. It's theories. I don't know if it will or will not work, and I'm not taking that chance."

"It's my body. I should be able to choose."

"I'm not putting you through that. You saw what happened to Bella."

"I don't care."

"Esme - ."

"Carlisle."

We stared at each other for a long moment and he finally sighed heavily. I tried hard not to give a bit of a smile, knowing that action served as the signal that I had won the small battle.

"Let me . . . do a bit more studying. You can go and talk to the children about this decision, and see how well they take the news." He replied slowly, cautiously. I couldn't help the smile that crept up on my features this time, pulling him into a tight hug and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"Thank you."

"Nothing is definite. It may not work Esme."

"Thank you for trying."

More elated than I had ever been, I called out for a family meeting. Most of them having been situated in the living room, they met me in the dining room. I didn't sit down, merely stood at the head of the table where Carlisle would normally sit. He didn't join us, instead leaving me to face the others alone. I didn't mind. I did see the rather upset look on Edward's face - it was a mix of distress and worry as he silently pleaded with me not to go through with it. Alice was staring of into space, obviously seeing the future once more.

"What's going on?" Rosalie asked carefully, the last to join us as she sat down beside her husband.

"Carlisle's found a way for us to reproduce without us sinking our fangs into the nearest dying human and turning them." Edward announced, almost disgusted now.

"What's so bad about that?" She questioned. Edward glanced at me and I gave him a slight nod.

"He wants to use Esme as a test subject."

_A/N: Yeah, yeah, I know you all are probably like 'OMG another Esme gets pregnant story', blah, blah. Sorry, but the idea struck me. Mine's going to be rather different than all the others, so hopefully you'll stay tuned and enjoy the ride. Don't forget to leave a few reviews too!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you for the lovely reviews! They always want to make me update faster! Please enjoy this next chapter! _

**. . .**

For the next few days, I felt like I was walking on air.

Everyone in the house noticed the change, and most of them were still a bit worried about it, as Bella had gone into full detail more than once about what it had been like with Renesmee. I'd willingly suffer the pain she'd described, if it meant I could have another child. One of my own flesh and blood.

Every time I came into Carlisle's study to check on him, he would warn me. So many things could go wrong, and I listened to each and every one of them. I knew very well what he was implying - he didn't want me to suffer the loss of another child, if it didn't work. And he didn't want to put me through that pain. I'd assured him I'd be fine, but the more I thought about it, the more I wondered just what I would do if something did go wrong.

In a few short days, I'd find out if having a breakdown over the loss of another child was necessary.

Carlisle had decided we'd attempt it this weekend, when the others would be going to visit the Denali coven. Due to that fact, Carlisle would be starting work next Monday at the hospital, and I had was to start helping lead work on the renovation of an old home not far from the center of this little town that very same day.

One question I kept asking myself though, was why. Immortal children were forbidden in our world - no doubt if this did work, the Volturi would be bearing down on us once more, and this time, probably would not be so willing to spare our lives. Why would Carlisle be researching such a thing? It occurred to me that he'd once said he'd always wanted to give me everything I wanted. I wanted a family, so he married me. I wanted a getaway for just the two of us, so he bought me an island. I'd wanted children, so he'd turned Rosalie and Emmett, and allowed Jasper and Alice to live with us, to become a real family.

I didn't realize that his intentions with the latter would stretch this far.

I found concentrating on even the tiniest of things was difficult for me. I'd tried to go back to my drawings, but I couldn't think of what to draw. So I had settled to curling up on the couch next to Emmett, watching a football game. The 49ers and the Chargers were at it, the Chargers leading by six points in the middle of the third quarter. I'd never been into sports, but I often betted against Emmett on who would win. Currently, I was winning.

"I think you talk to Alice before you bet me." He eyed me cautiously from his place in the armchair as the game went to commercial.

"You forget the 49ers have lost most of their games this season." I pointed out to him. He frowned slightly, but continued to eye me.

"The Chargers have done just as bad."

"They're two wins ahead."

He grumbled and I merely smirked as the game came back on. I never really had been into sports, but I loved to mess with Emmett when it came to them. He'd probably pay me back for it later - if everything went well over the weekend, we were heading out on Sunday to a field just east to play a game of baseball, because a storm was rolling in. The others had been getting antsy about it because we hadn't played in so long, and since Renesmee was finally able to play, I had promised we could go.

I couldn't wait.

By the time Saturday night had rolled around, I was more anxious than anything. Alice had decided to take everyone except for Edward into Anchorage to see a movie - Edward had grudgingly volunteered to help Carlisle with whatever he needed, mostly because he wanted to make sure nothing went wrong. I kept assuring them both that I trusted them completely, and nothing would ever go wrong.

As I changed in our room, Carlisle was pacing, almost nervously, as Edward had gone into Carlisle's study to gather what we'd need.

"You're making me dizzy." I warned him quietly, tugging on a loose tank-top. He'd said to dress in something comfortable.

"Esme, we shouldn't be doing this." He said quietly, suddenly at my side, his hands on my waist.

"You're the one who researched it."

"It was just meant to be research, a side project. I never intended to use it until I was sure it was successful."

"We're going to find out shortly if it is, aren't we?" I asked and turned to face him, resting my hands on his shoulders in an attempt to calm him. If anyone should have been nervous, it was me, but instead, all I could think about was how happy I would be if this worked.

"I'm going to tell you right now that it's going to be very, very painful. I don't like seeing you in pain, Esme." He rested his forehead against mine and I merely nodded.

"I'll be fine." I promised. After all, it couldn't be worse than jumping off a cliff, right? I'd shattered almost every bone in my body when I'd fallen and _that_ had hurt. The worst pain I'd felt in my entire life, up until I'd spent three days being changed into a vampire. I couldn't imagine worse pain than that.

Meeting his gaze for a long moment, I pulled myself from his arms to finish changing.

"Tell me what you're going to be doing." I said, hoping that at least if he told me about the process, he'd feel at least a bit better about doing it. I could see that he was afraid - of causing me pain, physically and emotionally. And of the fact that if he did succeed, we'd be facing the Volturi. That was why Edward had been so opposed to it in the first place, as I'd come to learn. But we could defeat them, if it turned into a fight. I wouldn't let them lay a hand on any member of my family without going through me first.

"Essentially, vampires body's can't form to accommodate the child when it's growing, which is one of the main problems. That, and a vampire's body can't provide nutrition in the form of regular food, because our digestive systems can't digest normal human food." He said slowly, facing the window of our room as I pulled on a pair of old shorts that were paint covered - I usually wore them in the summer when I was helping repaint the exterior of old houses I restored.

"All right." I nodded for him to continue. I had already known that.

"A normal human pregnant woman's embryo survives because their bodies release a certain type of hormone that nourishes the embryo. One of the first things I'll be doing is injecting that particular hormone into your body in large amounts - I'm not entirely sure how your body will react, but I'm crossing my fingers that it won't be in a negative way." He said and sighed, raking a hand through his hair before continuing.

"If that hormone works like the way I think it will, it will allow your body to form to be able to actually carry the child while its growing - it will be painful, as vampire skin isn't meant to be stretched like that, but it will work. Your diet will have to be changed - you'll have to feed much, much more frequently, and vitamins not normally found in blood will have to be mixed in." His gaze met mine slowly. "It's going to be hell."

"As you've seemed to make perfectly clear." I replied quietly. It was going to be hell, but I was prepared to endure it. At least, however, it wouldn't be long - Bella's barely lasted half the term of a normal pregnancy and her child had only been half vampire. Mine would be full vampire.

"Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?" He asked me as Edward came in, holding a small, thin silver case by the handle.

"Yes." I replied, and then glanced to my son, who gave a slight nod.

"Everything will be fine, mom." He said and gave me a crooked smile. I returned the smile as Carlisle took the case and opened it - three syringes were inside, and I assumed these were the hormones that Carlisle would inject me with. As he set them on the small bedside table, I moved to sit on the bed, propping my back up against the pillows. Edward moved to the other side, sitting next to me and taking my hand in his. He lightly squeezed it reassuringly. He hadn't wanted this done, but at least he was going to support me through it. And I appreciated it.

My eyes closed as Carlisle lifted my shirt, tugging my shorts down enough to where my entire stomach was exposed. I had never liked needles as a human, and it was a fear that had carried over into my vampire life.

"Esme, these needles won't break your skin."

My eyes opened and I met his steady gaze. If the needles wouldn't penetrate my marble skin, then what -?

"I'm going to have to bite you." He said slowly, watching for my reaction. Almost unconsciously, I ran my fingers along the raised bit of flesh in the crescent shape along my neck. After a long moment, I nodded, realizing I probably wouldn't feel much of it. Shutting my eyes again, Edward seemed to read my thoughts, giving my hand another light squeeze for reassurance.

I could feel the tiny prick and the tug of skin after hearing the sound of ripping flesh. It burned more than anything, but I didn't say anything, merely clenched my jaw. I could hear the clinking of metal against metal as Carlisle reached for the first syringe, and then the second, and the third. His lips pressed against the place he had bitten, leaving venom behind to seal the cut. I heard him sigh heavily before I opened my eyes.

Edward was already beside Carlisle, gathering up the syringes and placing them back into the case.

"I'll take these back to your study. Then I think I'll go out hunting for a while." He said quietly, glancing at Carlisle, then at me.

"Catch a mountain lion for me." I called after him. I heard a soft chuckle come from him, even though he was already halfway down the hall.

"Now what?" I asked, looking back at Carlisle, who gave a gentle smile.

"Now comes step two." He murmured. "Which I hope you find much more enjoyable than step one." He added, suddenly next to me and pulling me into his arms.

"I think I just might."

When the others returned home that night, they acted as if nothing was different, that nothing had changed. In reality, it hadn't, but they all knew what had happened, and from the odd looks Jasper kept making at the television as he pretended to pay attention, I knew he was receiving a mix of emotions from each member of my family, including myself.

For the rest of the night and into the early hours of Sunday morning, I watched Emmett, Edward, and Alice teach Renesmee exactly how we played our game of baseball. Renesmee was going to take my place as referee for the game. Bella was going to play - it would be her first game. I would be taking part in the game this time, so we'd have even teams. It was rare I played, but considering the elated mood I was in, I was actually looking forward to it.

Once the thunder began to rumble in the distance, we headed outside of town. I doubted we'd even need the thunder around here - if we went out far enough, no one was probably going to be able to hear us. But we wanted to take precautions, just in case.

We split ourselves into teams on the way there - Emmett, Edward, Jasper and Carlisle on one, Rosalie, Bella, Alice, and myself on the other. It was rare we did the guys versus the girls, but we had never been able to do it before because I had always played referee. Now, it was sure to prove an interesting game.

We were up to bat first, so the others spread themselves out across the field. Pulling my hat on and pulling my ponytail through the back of it, I watched as Rosalie prepared to bat. Carlisle was shifting from foot to foot eagerly out in the field, preparing to pitch. I gave a reassuring glance to Bella, who was actually smiling, almost as if she was looking forward to it as well. I knew her aversion to sports.

With a loud cracking sound, Rosalie nailed the ball and two blurs took off after it. It was more difficult to see the balls against the white background of the landscape, but Emmett and Jasper took off after it like it was nothing. I cheered on Rosalie as she ran around the bases, a large grin plastered on her face.

As she came halfway toward home, I saw the ball whiz through the air back toward Edward, but it was too late, as Rosalie had already slide straight into home base.

"Safe!" Renesmee called excitedly from behind us, laughing. Rosalie gave her a high five as Bella stepped up to bat.

She struck out the first time at Carlisle's fast pitch, but nailed it the second time, sending it way off into the distance over first base. She ran in a blur, making no prints in the snow as she rounded first, then second. But the ball was already whizzing back, forcing her to a halt on third base with a triumphant grin. The girl was good, having once been so clumsy that a simple walk across a flat surface proved to be difficult.

I grabbed the bat next, flexing my fingers around the bottom of it. I saw a fleck of movement as Carlisle threw the ball before I swung, the loud crack almost deafening mixed with the claps of thunder above. It would start raining soon, but that would hardly stop us, as it would probably turn to snow before it hit the ground. I took off for first base as Bella ran at the opposite side of the field, heading for home.

My foot touched first, and second, before I heard a yell. Jasper had returned with the ball clutched in his hand, and he was coming toward me. I skidded into third, my fingertips barely touching the base.

"Safe!" Renesmee shouted happily. I grinned at Jasper, who had touched the ball to my leg as I lay in the snow, my fingers holding tight to the base. He eyed me suspiciously, but it was with a small smirk. He extended a hand to help me up before returning the ball to Alice and taking his place back out in the field. I stood on the base, watching as Rosalie stepped back up to bat.

The game continued, even as it continued to sleet across the open area, the rain and snow pelting us. We didn't mind, but after a while, it was becoming increasingly challenging. The guys were ahead by three, and as it was growing dark, we decided to head back. Renesmee was getting tired anyway, her head lolling on Edward's shoulder as he carried her.

When we got back, Bella disappeared into the kitchen as her cell phone rang. I silently slipped out onto the front porch, leaning against the railing, watching the moonlight glint off the cars parked in the driveway.

"You okay?" Alice's voice said quietly from behind me. I nodded, letting out a soft sigh. "Jasper said you're worried."

"I'll be okay." I assured her. "I am worried - this is going to create quite a bit of uproar with the Volturi if this works." I said quietly.

She didn't reply for a long moment, but when she did, she was smiling.

"It will work."

I returned the smile and drew her into a tight hug.

"I love you mom." She murmured, returning the hug. I kissed the top of her head.

"Love you too Alice." She drew back, grinning broadly. "Everything's going to work out."

"I believe you." I told her. Hearing that from Alice made most of my worry disappear. Usually, she was right. But I knew her visions could change unexpectedly, and the future could change. The future was always changing, based on decisions and the actions of everyone involved in it. I knew whatever actions Carlisle and I took were now up to the hands of fate. I would either have a baby, and the Volturi would bear down on us like a cat on it's mouse, or it wouldn't work.

Either one would have consequences to pay.

I heard a shriek from inside. Alarmed, Alice and I both ran back inside to find Renesmee now fully awake, jumping for joy in the middle of the living room, bronze curls bouncing.

"What's going on?" I asked, confused, glancing at Edward's emotionless face and Bella's amused expression.

"Jacob's coming to visit."


	3. Chapter 3

By Wednesday, I assumed I was in the clear.

I was clearly wrong.

The first thing I noticed was that I had actually slept. I'd awakened after an hour of sleep to find myself not on the couch where I'd apparently fallen asleep, but in my bed. I hadn't even realized I was tired. It was weird, but to be able to sleep, even for only an hour, felt amazing.

The second thing I saw was that my eyes were black, again. I had fed on Monday, and now barely two days later they were black as night, the burning in my throat increasing sharply.

"You may want to stay up here for just a bit." Carlisle murmured, suddenly at my side as I swung my legs out of bed, stifling a small yawn. He held out a glass of something toward me and I frowned, taking it.

"What's this?"

"Just drink it." He stated and I obeyed. It was blood, but had the distinct taste of something . . . fruity. I arched an eyebrow at him, and he merely smiled.

"It tastes okay doesn't it? Edward did his best."

"Yeah, its fine. What is it?"

"It has extracts of the vitamins you'll need. This will pretty much be your blood substitute for a while." He explained, but I barely heard any of it. I sat the glass down and quietly strode toward the window, throwing it open and letting the cool breeze wash over me. It suddenly felt as though my entire body was on fire, like I had a fever. The breeze wasn't helping - apparently the problem was internal.

"Are you okay?" He asked carefully as I turned away from the window, glancing around. Something was different - either with myself, or everything else. I was aware of Carlisle pressing a hand to my forehead.

"Esme."

I looked at him. He looked concerned - I didn't blame him. I was concerned too.

"I'm fine." I assured. He looked at me skeptically.

"It's taking effect. I told you your body would have reactions. It hasn't had that much of a hormone influx since you were pregnant in your human life." He sat down on the edge of the bed and took me by the hands, pulling me toward him. I felt the heat finally fade away, focusing on his hands holding mine.

"It's still not too late to back out of this." He said quietly. I shook my head in a reply.

"Carlisle, I told you I wanted to do this. That answer hasn't changed." I told him, silently sitting down beside him. "You keep thinking of all the negative: what could go wrong, what will go wrong, and it's not what you should be thinking about." I continued, meeting his gaze again. I saw his expression at the color of my eyes and I paused long enough to take another long drink from the glass he had brought.

"You should be thinking about the good." I stated. "We're going to have a _baby,_ Carlisle. One of our own flesh and blood - figuratively speaking. A real baby that we're going to take care of - it's going to be different than raising a bunch of teenagers, but it's going to be a whole new thing."

There was silence except for the wind the whistled as it came through our window.

"You should be happy." I added. He tilted his head for a moment, considering my words. After a long moment he gave a nod, pulling me into a hug. I buried my face into his chest, my fingers curling around his shirt. When he spoke, it was a low murmur into my hair.

"I am happy, Esme. And I'm worried, at the same time."

"Don't worry. Everything's going to be fine." I replied. "Alice said so."

He let out a soft laugh then, making me smile. I pulled away long enough to kiss him, my attention finally becoming focused on something else. I finally figured out what was different in the house.

"Jacob's here."

"Yes. This is why I suggested you stay up here. They don't know about your . . . condition." He spoke. I gave a small smile.

"Condition? Is that what we're calling it now?"

He chuckled, but didn't say anything more, pressing his lips to the base of my throat.

"If you want to come down, you can. But I'd suggest putting your drink in something you can't see through."

I nodded, letting Carlisle take it to switch out the glasses. I changed into a pair of jeans before heading downstairs. I stopped on the landing, smiling slightly when I saw that Jacob had a hold of Renesmee, and was lifting her high in his arms, running in circles around the living room. Bella was watching with an amused expression, Edward sulking in the corner. I knew he still wasn't fond of Jacob.

Somewhere, I scented the distinct smells of human food - Jasper was in the kitchen with Leah and Seth, cooking for the werewolves. I wrinkled my nose - the smell nearly made me ill.

Carlisle came up beside me on the landing and handed me an opaque glass, re-filled with the blood I was to be drinking the next . . . however long it took. He reached down and took my hand and we headed down the rest of the stairs at a human pace. Jacob looked up as he pretended to drop Renesmee, only to catch her inches from the floor. She let out a squeal of delight.

"Look gramma! Jacob's here!"

"I see that sweetie." I smiled at her, and then looked at Jacob. "Hello Jacob."

"Mrs. Cullen, Mr. Cullen." He gave us each a curt nod.

"Esme, please." I said and he nodded again. "Glad you could finally come and visit."

"I just can't stay away from my little Nessie-monster." He threw her in the air and she giggled. I smiled at the pair - we weren't supposed to like the werewolves, but in the past few months, Jacob had become bearable, especially with his imprint on Renesmee. Leah and Seth were nice, although I almost suspected it was only because Jacob made them.

I joined Bella on the couch, Carlisle perched on the arm beside me, his fingers still tangled in mine. Bella glanced at my rather odd drink and opened her mouth to ask, but I shook my head a fraction of an inch. She eyed me cautiously for a moment, as if trying to understand why I couldn't tell her, before she turned back to watch Jacob and her daughter.

But Jacob was looking at me, his head tilted slightly to the side. I shifted nervously and pretended not to notice, waiting before he had gone back to playing with Renesmee. Wolves were keen to sense changes, just like vampires were, and I knew he could tell there was something different about me. Obviously though, he didn't want to bring it up.

At least, not right then.

Leah and Seth came out of the kitchen, holding sandwiches, Seth handing one over to Jacob.

"How are things in Forks?" Carlisle asked as Alice and Emmett came in from the kitchen, Rosalie and Jasper following closely behind. They perched in chairs or stood in various places around the living room, but Jacob merely plopped to the floor and allowed Renesmee to crawl into his lap. Leah and Seth took seats on either side of him, looking slightly uncomfortable in the home of vampires so far from their own.

"Pretty quiet." Jacob said, taking a large bite from his sandwich. "Charlie misses you - says he wants you to come visit sometime." He said to Bella.

"I've been thinking about it. Introducing him better to Renesmee and everything." She replied and Jacob gave a curt nod - I saw him glance toward me again. Giving Carlisle's hand a faint squeeze, I got to my feet.

"I'll get you something to drink. Running all that way - can't have you dehydrated." I told them. Leah and Seth flashed grateful smiles, but I was surprised when Jacob was suddenly in front of me.

"Allow me to help. After all, can't have you waiting on us hand and foot." He flashed one of those crooked grins, and I couldn't refuse right in front of Bella and everyone. I nodded, returning the smile and lead the way into the kitchen.

I grabbed the pitcher of lemonade I hade made earlier in the day before I'd fallen asleep, knowing the wolves would be here soon and they'd probably want something other than water. I pointed out where the glasses were to him, letting him get those.

"So did you guys pick up a tenth member?" He asked conversationally as I grabbed ice from the freezer. I frowned, glancing at him.

"Tenth member?"

"There's ten leeches - sorry, _vampires_ - in this house. I only count nine." He replied. I didn't say anything, carefully piling ice in each glass. I reached for the pitcher, but he grabbed it before I could.

"Your count must be off then." I told him finally. "There's only nine - including Renesmee. She could be throwing your count off."

"She's only half. There's another full vampire around here. Guess you guys couldn't wait to change another soul since you got out of Forks." He said and flashed a grin. I refused the urge to say anything more, the anger growing inside of me. He assumed we'd changed someone else after we'd left Forks? Carlisle would never do that. He only changed people that had no other chance at living. Jacob was assuming we changed just because we were _bored._

I wanted to smack them.

He took two glasses and I took the third, coming back out into the living room. Jasper's gaze met mine - he could obviously sense my hostility now. After Jacob handed the two glasses in his hands to Leah and Seth, he took the third from me. We both sat back down, my hand curling around Carlisle's. Jasper continued to eye me cautiously - I chose to ignore him and glare at the television.

I was glad they weren't staying long. According to Carlisle, the Denali coven was coming later that night. Who had decided everyone was going to visit at once? I almost wanted to go curl under my blankets upstairs and not come out.

Edward snorted. I glanced at him, and he gave a knowing look. He'd heard my thoughts. I gave him a small smile, watching Jacob crush Renesmee to his chest, murmuring a promise of coming again soon. If Jacob didn't have such an attitude about him, I might have looked forward to him coming back. But by then, he would be able to count ten - if things went well, I'd have my baby to hold and cuddle in my arms by then.

"I'm going to head back upstairs for a bit." I said, faking a yawn toward Carlisle, who nodded, pressing a kiss to my temple.

"If you need anything," He began.

"I know." I murmured and kissed his cheek, before retreating back upstairs to my room. I was getting tired, again, surprisingly, but at least my eyes had lightened in color from the concoction I'd been drinking.

Pressing the button on the small stereo in the corner, soft classical music of Edward's design began to fill the room. It wasn't loud, just loud enough for me to be able to hear it with my sensitive hearing. The first song was my favorite, the tune very beautiful and relaxing to listen to.

It lulled me into another fitful sleep.

When I awoke, however, things were not so peaceful.

It was late - night had already settled outside - and I had apparently slept much longer than before. The music was still playing softly in the background. I felt an arm wrapped around my waist and I rolled over onto my other side, smiling at Carlisle, who pressed a kiss to my forehead. Even through the calm serene sanctuary of my room, I could hear the arguing voice downstairs.

They didn't sound happy.

"What's going on?" I asked, reaching up to brush hair from his eyes, which had grown darker. He studied my face for a long moment.

"Nothing."

I arched an eyebrow, clearly not impressed with his answer.

"Try again."

"Just something that happened while you were sleeping. Nothing important." He replied, playing with a curl of my hair now. I stared at him a moment longer, listening to the voices downstairs. It was hard to pick them out with the music, but they were still going at it.

"The Denali coven come?"

"Oh yes. And left."

"Why didn't you wake me?"

"You're cute when you're sleeping." He gave a crooked grin and I narrowed my eyes for a moment before I broke into a sudden fit of giggled, burying my face into the pillow.

"Carlisle, you're such a suck-up."

"What? I'm not allowed to say I have the most beautiful wife in the entire world? That I love her with all of my being?"

I pretended as if I was thinking about it.

"Hm. I suppose I can let you get away with that. Anything else you have to add, my handsome husband?"

"You are incredibly sexy and I'm lucky to have found you?"

"Oh, you're good." I reached over to take his fingers in mine as we lay on our sides, merely grinning like a couple of teenagers in love as we stared at each other. He shifted, allowing me to rest my head on his chest, his fingers gently weaving through my hair. Somewhere in my mind I knew I should have been concerned that my children were arguing somewhere downstairs, but Carlisle had a habit of making me want to forget things.

Something shattered below.

I was up before Carlisle could stop me, the effect almost making me dizzy, but I was out the door in seconds. Carlisle followed closely - we stopped at the bottom of the stairs. My children were frozen in various points along the room, staring at us. Edward sitting at the piano bench, his face terrified, Bella, her hand on her husband's shoulder. Jasper stood near the couch, his hands resting on the back, as if he'd been speaking to Alice, who stood in the center of the living room, a shattered glass of my special blood diet drink at her feet. Emmett was carefully cleaning it up, Rosalie attempting to keep Renesmee off the floor and away from the broken glass.

"What's going on?" I asked, shifting my gaze. It was Alice who spoke, but when she did, she was speaking to Carlisle beside me, her gaze fearful, amber colored eyes widened.

"They're coming."

"When?" Carlisle asked, his voice suddenly taking on a new tone. A protective one.

"They're still deciding. But it's going to be soon."

There was a long silence in the room, and it suddenly hit me. The Volturi. There was no other group that could put the terrified faces on Edward and Alice like that. Carlisle grabbed my hand, my other one coming up to rest against my stomach. They were coming, for me. For my family.

"We'll fight."

"No."

I was surprised it had come from me, but it was truth. Everyone looked at me, alarmed.

"No." I repeated. "I'm not losing any of you. We're going to do this civilly." I knew my words were meaningless - doing things with the Volturi hardly turned out civilly. "If they want a fight, well, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it." I gave a reassuring nod. Although, I wasn't sure if I was reassuring the others, or myself. I felt Carlisle squeeze my hand.

"We better come up with a plan then."

As I watched my family spring into action around me, launching into tactical ideas, I knew this wasn't going to be good.


	4. Chapter 4

_Thanks for all the lovely reviews, guys! They make my day! Continue to review and please continue to enjoy the story!_

**. . .**

I wasn't happy.

I continued to glare at Carlisle, watching as he spoke with Bella and Jasper, who stood near the Mercedes in the garage. I was leaned up against the counter near a tool box, watching them converse quietly. Edward, Emmett, and Alice stood nearby talking in their own little group, and Rosalie was quietly keeping Renesmee entertained near her convertible, keeping the girl out of everyone's way.

Carlisle knew I was angry with this idea. It wasn't sensible, but Bella had been the one to suggest the idea. Naturally, Carlisle had taken the idea and ran with it, and now believed I would be safer than ever.

On the reservation back in La Push.

Bella had called in a favor, and as long as we didn't do anything against the treaty like kill any sort of animals or bite any humans, etc, etc . . . . then Jacob, Seth, Leah, and a few other members of the pack were willing to help us.

And by helping us, they meant guarding me.

Carlisle had already injected me with another does of hormones, so I was set for at least another week. Unfortunately I was going to have to hunt once we got back to Forks - at least, on our side of the line, with the wolves watching my every move - and attempt to force down a few human foods. It wasn't going to go over well, but I would survive.

Being away from Carlisle was what would bother me the most.

Jasper and Bella were going with me, to the reservation. Rosalie and Alice were going to change into some clothes of mine at the last minute, and take Bella's Mercedes Guardian farther inland, toward Canada. Carlisle, and Emmett were going to head toward California in Alice's Porsche, leaving Edward to take Renesmee with him farther north in Alaska with his Volvo.

I hated being the reason we had to split up. I didn't want anything to happen to any of them. If something did, I've never forgive myself.

I was already going to personally murder Carmen, one of Tanya's sisters.

She'd sensed the same thing Jacob had when she and the others had visited while I had been sleeping, and Carlisle had told them, believing they could be trusted. That it had just been Irina who'd betray them. Apparently, they were wrong. From what I'd been told, Carmen had completely went nuts, and high tailed it out of there, only to call the Volturi and give them a heads up. The Volturi were already keeping us under watch, and apparently this was the last straw for them.

"Esme?"

Carlisle pulled me from my thoughts. I glanced around, seeing the others saying goodbye to each other. We were about to leave. I didn't know how long it would be before we saw each other together again - if we did. The Volturi were violent, and would no doubt kill every one of us. I sighed and wrapped my arms around him, kissing him as if I would never see him again. If I could cry, I would have been sobbing by then, but thankfully, I couldn't shed any tears. It would have looked weak, anyway. I had to stay strong, for my family, for Carlisle, for myself, and for the baby.

"I love you." I whispered. He nodded.

"I love you too. We'll see each other soon."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

He ushered me into the front seat of his car, giving my hand one final squeeze before shutting the door. I felt a wave of calm wash over me, and looked at Jasper beside me in the driver's seat. He gave a reassuring smile.

"Nothing will happen. Alice is going to keep us filled in with her visions." Bella said from the backseat, holding up a silver cell phone. I nodded, wrapping one arm around my middle.

It was going to be a long ride.

I forced myself to believe that everything was going to turn out right. Alice had promised, and I was going to believe her. She had never been wrong before. Maybe we'd have to go through some rough spots before things turned out okay, but I knew in the end we'd be happy, and everything would be right again. I wasn't sure how far away that happy ending was, but I was determined it would be soon.

The Volturi weren't going to ruin our lives. I wasn't going to let them. Immortal children were forbidden in our world, and with Renesmee, it had been a close call. She was only half. But the child I carried right then would be full immortal. This went against every law our world had. If they got their hands on me, I knew they'd kill me just to kill my child, and then probably kill Carlisle for being the father, and the one who'd come up with the idea. They'd then burn his research, and probably kidnap Alice, Edward, and Bella to come and join them against their will.

I wasn't letting my family be destroyed like that.

I had been thinking about a different idea - could we convince the Volturi that this actually benefited them? If this worked perfectly, then we would no longer have to turn humans. We would be able to breed, and have our own children. It would have to be in moderation, of course, otherwise we'd have a problem on our hands, but otherwise, it would an easier way than turning the innocent humans, further reducing the Volturi's food supply, since they fed on the poor beings. And really, what made the immortal children so different than us? They would grow up to be just like us - adults. Of course, maybe they were dangerous in their younger years, but they didn't know any better. You had to teach them, like any other human child. They'd learn, and they'd fit right in. I couldn't understand why the Volturi hated them so.

The cold snows of Alaska disappeared, soon replaced by the greens and browns of Washington. We had left in the middle of the night, and the sun had already been up for a few hours when we spotted the first few houses of Forks.

I watched a sort of pain wash over Bella's face as we passed her old house, the high school, and the houses of her friends. I knew how she felt, having to leave everything behind. I'd once left everything behind to go to Ashland and try to forget the horrors of my first marriage. I'd missed my parents for the first year, but I got over it. Bella would eventually too. Eventually all her friends and her father would no longer be on the Earth, but she would remain the same age forever, forced to watch her friends age and die, just as the rest of us had. I knew it was a morbid way of looking at things, but sometimes being immortal came with a price.

We passed right over the treaty line into La Push. Bella instructed Jasper where to drive, until we were pulling up to Jacob's house. He was waiting on the front porch, flanked by Seth, both shirtless. Seth looked happy, but Jacob looked like he could have cared less if I lived or died.

I knew he was only doing it for Bella.

We got out of the car, Bella in front to greet Jacob.

"Hey Jake."

"Bells." He regarded her quietly, gaze flickering between her, Jasper, and myself. I suddenly felt unwanted, a feeling I had not felt in years. I didn't like it, and just wanted to go home. Thunder rumbled somewhere over head - I'd almost forgotten how rainy Forks was.

"Thank you for doing this. I'm sorry you have to." I said and Jacob looked at me.

"It's not a problem. I've been wanting to settle a few things with those leeches that hate you guys anyway." He said, giving a shrug.

"They're called the Volturi. And if you thought that they were pissed over Nessie, then be prepared for them to be even more pissed." Bella muttered. "Nessie's only half immortal. Esme's pregnant with a full immortal."

"Let them get pissed." He grumbled, and stepped aside. Bella led the way into the house, followed by myself and Jasper. Seth and Jacob came in last, shutting the door behind them.

"Where's Leah?" Jasper asked.

"Guarding a set perimeter with some of the others." Seth replied.

As Bella and Jasper began to fill Jacob and Seth in more about the situation, I wandered back outside to the front porch, sitting down on the small swing there. It had started to rain - not hard, but with the way the thunder rumbled and lightening flashed in the distance, I knew it'd only get worse. I felt sorry for the wolves that had to stay out in that, watching for any signs of the Volturi.

A figure appeared in the distance, running toward the house. I saw it was Leah, who leapt up onto the porch, shaking her hair from her face.

"Hello Mrs. Cullen." She greeted. "You okay?"

"Fine, thanks. And it's Esme, please." I told her. She nodded, and sat down in one of the wicker chairs across from the swing, her feet propped up on the porch railing. I watched her, who was watching it rain, staring out across the yard toward the trees - apparently her friends were still out there.

"So, Jacob told us about how . . . what Bella went through when she had Renesmee." She said suddenly, facing toward me. I stared back at her, shifting almost uncomfortably in the swing. I had never really had a lengthy conversation with one of the wolves, little own Leah, who disliked us more than Jacob and Seth. "Are you going to have to go through that?"

"Probably."

There was a pause.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"That you have to go through that. And that these . . . jerks are after you and your family." She replied, giving a small shrug. "If I were you . . . well, I'm not exactly sure what I would do."

I could only nod - it felt odd, to be talking to Leah, normally. She'd been reclusive last time I'd ever spent a lengthy amount of time with her, when she had been with Jacob and Seth helping before Renesmee had been born.

"I'm sorry you have to go out of your way to help protect me. In the rain." I said after a moment as it began to pour down rain.

"S'okay. I like the rain." She said, looking back over at me. Her gaze flickered toward the hand I had absentmindedly resting on my stomach. "You know if its going to be a girl or boy yet?"

I shook my head. "It may develop as fast as Bella's, but I'm not sure yet. I've only been carrying it for a week." I explained. "Hopefully this will all blow over soon."

"With the sounds of it, your vampire friends don't want it all to just 'blow over'. From what I was told, they're coming to kill this time."

"They are."

We headed back inside as it began to grow darker, the rain showing no signs of letting up. Bella was pacing the living room, a cell phone pressed to her ear. On the other end I could hear Alice's distinct chattering tones, but I couldn't tell what they were saying. Rather, I didn't want to focus on what they were saying. If it had been Carlisle, I would have tried harder to listen. Instead I sat down on the couch next to Seth, settling into the cushions and reclining slightly.

"You look tired." Seth commented.

"I am."

"Thought you didn't sleep?" Jacob asked from where he was reclined in the armchair, the perfect picture of relaxation with his legs thrown over one arm.

"With these hormone injections Carlisle has been giving me, it affects my body and makes it want to think its human. I get tired fairly easy now."

"When do you need to, uh, feed next?"

"Not for another couple of hours." I replied. "Bella or Jasper can take me."

"Seth will go, guard the area for you." Jacob said and I saw Seth nod out of the corner of my eyes.

"Sure thing. Not a problem."

Bella suddenly snapped the phone shut, her face puzzled. I looked at her.

"What?"

"Alice is still getting visions. She can't see you right now, obviously, but she's seeing the Volturi." Bella said, frowning slightly.

"And?" Jacob pressed.

"They'll be in Alaska within the next week, looking for Esme." She said. "After that, Alice can't tell, because they haven't made up their minds about what they're going to do if they don't find you - which they won't."

"Perfect." I muttered. I just hoped the others were safe, wherever they were by now.

"Don't worry mom." Jasper said, entering the room ahead of Leah. "Dad gave me a few doses of your meds, just in case it took longer than a week to shake the Volturi. Things will be fine."

I nodded. People kept telling me things were going to be fine, but every time someone said it, a little more doubt slipped into my mind. I sighed, resting my chin in my hand, glancing back up at Bella.

"Anything else?"

She seemed to hesitate.

"No."

I was getting tired of people lying to me.

"Bella." I warned and she sighed, shaking her head.

"Alice said she saw you. And your baby." She replied quietly. An unneeded breath hitched in my throat as my gaze met Bella's, silently asking her to continue. "Saw you, chasing her down a long hallway. You were in a black robe. There was shouting going on, and the sounds of a fight, but she couldn't tell where you were."

"_Her_?"

"Yeah. A little girl."

Even though Bella had mentioned a fight, I couldn't help the smile that came to my face. My gaze turned to stare at the ground as I tried to hide it, my hair falling in my face to help cover it. A little girl. _My_ little girl. I felt as though Bella was still hiding something from me, but I didn't press her for information, my mind already on other things. She'd said I'd been in a black robe - I didn't own one of those. Something stolen from the Volturi, perhaps? Maybe it was a fight with the Volturi that had been making the sounds in her vision, and I was running away?

It was then I understood that no matter what, things were going to turn into a fight. Unless their decisions changed between now and then, we were going to end up fighting. I just hoped there would be no casualties on our side. I couldn't stand to lose any member of my family.

A wave of calm washed over me and I looked at Jasper, whose face was concerned. I gave a small smile and a slight nod, telling him silently that I would be okay. He'd obviously sensed the sharp worry that had entered my happy mood.

"Why don't you go get some sleep?" Bella suggested, and then looked at Jacob, as if asking which bedroom I could crash in.

"You can have my room." He said. "Upstairs, third on the left. If you need it, the bathroom's just across the hall."

"Thanks." I murmured and got to my feet. I walked at a human pace so as not to bother the wolves, following Jacob's instructions to his room. It was cleaner than I expected, but I couldn't help but wrinkle my nose at the smell of wet dog. I ignored it though, and sat down on the edge of the bed.

It wasn't my room, and it wasn't with Carlisle, but it would have to do.

Kicking off my shoes, I curled up under the blankets, drifting off into a restless bit of sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Hours turned into days, and the days turned into a week.

A full week had passed.

We'd heard nothing except the Volturi had already been to our home in Alaska. Alice couldn't see them well anymore, as their futures kept flickering through a white haze. She wasn't sure why, but was trying her best to keep us updated. They had guards on our house, to make sure we didn't try to return, either.

We had fallen into a bit of a routine in La Push. In the mornings Bella or Jasper would go with me to hunt, and Seth would join us. We'd hunt in the area near our old house, which was inhabited by a family of humans now. We'd come back, and I'd eat lunch with the pack, forcing down a few fruits and vegetables or whatever had been made. I discovered that if I ate increasingly small portions, I could keep it down.

As if someone had pressed a button, it seemed everyday I grew a little more. It wasn't a lot, but at the end of a week I looked like I should have been at least 6 months pregnant. It was a tiny bump, starting to swell to make it look like I had swallowed a soccer ball.

"Mom?"

I looked up to see Jasper had stood, and was replacing a syringe back into the familiar silver case. He had just finished administering another dosage of hormones. I ran my hand along the newest scar along my stomach before tugging my shirt down. It was almost too big for me - it was one of Carlisle's that I had packed, because the other shirts that had been brought would have been too small for my new little bump.

"You okay?" Jasper asked as he extended a hand, pulling me to my feet from where I'd been sitting on the edge of the bathtub.

"I'm fine. Just missing home." I sighed, glancing at my reflection in the mirror. My eyes were already starting to turn dark - this little monster sure liked to eat. The circles under my eyes were darkening again as well.

"Hopefully we'll be able to go home in a few more days. They'll probably leave soon." He assured and we left the bathroom together. I gave a small nod, even though I wasn't convinced in the slightest. The Volturi weren't going to give up. They had trackers - they were going to follow us, and find us.

When we arrived back downstairs, Jacob and two other wolf pack members were playing a game of cards around the dining room table. Bella had gotten from her seat, her cards face down in her place as she talked on the phone. Leah and Seth had apparently gone out guarding again - at least it wasn't raining this time.

"Carlisle wants to talk to you." Bella said, holding the phone out to me after a long moment. We exchanged a smile and I took the phone, stepping out onto the back porch as they returned to their card game.

"Hey."

"_Hey."_

It was amazing to hear his voice again. I had never been away from Carlisle this long before.

"_How are you?"_

"I'm fine. Both of us are. And before you can ask, I have been eating well. And sleeping. And taking my medicine, Dr. Cullen." I replied in a serious tone, knowing he would ask about those next. He chuckled on the other end.

"_Good to hear."_

"Any updates?"

"_Not much. We've been following some of the Volturi members, but they're not doing anything. Just traveling, looking for you. They've spread farther into Alaska and Canada, according to Edward and Rosalie. We've been following a few that have gone toward California - they might be going toward Phoenix."_

"None heading this way."

"_None that we can tell. If they are stupid enough to check Forks, you have the wolves to protect you until we can get there."_

I opened my mouth to reply, but at that moment, Leah and Seth ran up, Seth grabbing my arm and instantly tugging me inside. I pressed a hand over the receiver of the phone.

"What's going on?"

"Leeches." Leah spat. "A lot of them."

I paled, suddenly realizing why Alice hadn't been able to see most of the Volturi's decisions - the wolves were interfering.

"They're here." I whispered into the phone.

"_Esme, get -!"_

Whatever Carlisle had been about to say was cut off as the glass doors that led out onto the back porch suddenly shattered, sending glass flying at us. In the doors place were several Volturi members, wearing their robes of black. Their sights were set on me.

Jacob, Bella, and Jasper were the first ones to leap in front of me, pressing me back against the counter near the sink. Leah, Seth, and the other two pack members jumped up next, their faces contorted into snarls. They shook, probably about to hit wolf form.

The cell phone was still clutched in my hand, and still on the call to Carlisle. I merely slipped it into my pocket discreetly, so he could hear everything that was about to happen.

"Just give us Esme, and we'll leave." One of them said, eyes a deep burgundy in color. I'd almost forgotten that they didn't share our diet.

"You can't have her." Jasper snarled.

"Esme, run." Bella whispered suddenly in my ear. "To the car. Get away."

"I'm not leaving any of you." I murmured back.

The Volturi guard suddenly launched themselves at us at the same time Leah, Seth, Jacob, and the other two shifted into wolf forms, colliding with the vampires in mid air. Several more went for Bella and Jasper, a few toward me. I was backed up against the counter with nowhere to go.

Barely even thinking, I tried to remember the self defense Jasper had taught us. Of course, that was for newborns, but it might have some sort of use. I had little experience fighting vampires before, but I wasn't about to go down without a fight, or let my family down.

One of them grabbed onto my arm and I whirled, lashing out to punch them in the face. Their head snapped back as my fist connected with their nose and they let go, only for two more to come toward me.

"Come with us or we'll kill them all." A female hissed in my ear as I thrashed against her. The fight had spilled out of the glass doors - we were completely and largely outnumbered - there was no hope for them to win.

"Tell them to stop. Make them stop fighting, and swear not to hurt any of my family or the pack." I said quickly, wincing as one of them threw Bella into the wall. "Now!"

"Stop." The male on my left spoke, his grip tightening on my arm. The Volturi suddenly stopped their actions, looking toward the two holding me tightly in place. I wasn't going to let them be killed just because of me. Carlisle was going to murder me, but it was a chance I was willing to take. I'd figure out a way to escape later.

"You're to leave the Cullens and the wolves alone. Return to the others, tell them we've got what we came for." The female ordered. The Volturi guard looked alarmed, but obeyed, disappearing. When the female spoke again, it was to Bella, Jasper, Jacob, and the others. "You will not follow, or we will kill you and your family."

My gaze met Bella's worried one, and I mouthed the words 'don't worry' toward her. She gave a slight nod, as the male suddenly reached into my pocket, pulling out the cell phone. He pressed it to his ear, grinning maliciously.

"Tell your wife goodbye, Carlisle Cullen." He said before slamming the phone down, stomping on it. It shattered into thousands of tiny pieces. My heart wrenched, my eyes sliding closed as I forced back the dry sobs. It would be a small price to pay, at the expense of my family. Even if I died, as long as they went unharmed, everything would be all right.

Without another word, I was led away.

**. . .**

Volterra was a place I never really wanted to see again.

I didn't like it there, naturally, because it's where the Volturi were located. It was a pretty city, but it was crawling with vampires, and tourists continued to flock toward the city, blissfully unaware that they would probably be turned into a meal.

"Good afternoon!" The human receptionist greeted us. I didn't look up. I had been staring at the ground since we'd arrived and I'd been marched into their little hideaway. The stench of human blood came from a hall down my left and I wrinkled my nose, my throat burning - I hadn't fed since I'd left La Push, and was about to go mad with thirst. But Carlisle had taught me self control. I wasn't about to become some murderer.

_Carlisle._

My heart felt like it was going to be torn in two. I wanted my husband back. I knew he was probably going to attempt some insane rescue mission, eventually, so I'd probably get to see him soon.

Even if it was just before the Volturi murdered him.

Unless they murdered me first.

I doubted they would - I had heard my captors muttering to each other, that Aro was interested in seeing the baby born before he killed it. So I knew I would live to see a few more weeks - well, days, considering the way this thing was growing now. It seemed I was gaining a month a day.

"Hello Esme." Aro greeted - he was the only one in the large open throne room. I wondered where Caius and Marcus were, but didn't ask. Instead, I stared at Aro, a hateful glare carefully etched into my features as the two vampires from before left the room, leaving us alone. His gaze traveled to my pale hands wrapped around my frame protectively - I wished they were Carlisle's hands, instead of mine.

"Aro." I said quietly, acknowledging his presence.

"How have you been?"

"I was just dragged from my family, across an ocean, and marched through Volterra. I'm doing _great_."

He only smiled at my sarcasm. I wanted to reach up and smack him hard across the face, but I forced myself to refrain from doing so. His gaze traveled from my stomach back up to my face.

"We're not going to hurt you, Esme."

"You're not killing my child."

He chuckled.

"You know the rules. Immortal children cannot exist." He said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Thanks, I already knew that.

"What Carlisle has come up with - it could change the way we live. You and the others are so wound up in protecting the laws that you don't see that vampires breeding are much easier, and almost just as fast as turning innocent humans. And the fewer humans you turn, the more food supply you'll have." I argued. I hated bringing up food supplies, but with their diet, I knew it was a main factor in my reasoning, even if I didn't like it. He arched an eyebrow.

"You've thought this out."

I nodded.

"We cannot let the child live, Esme. You're lucky we're going to let you live. You don't know how long I've been arguing with Caius and Marcus about this. They're not too happy that I'm letting you live."

"I don't care. If you kill my baby, then you can kill me as well." I folded my arms across my chest, defiant. This was ridiculous. I knew arguing wasn't going to help, but I wasn't about to bend to the ways of the Volturi, even if they were being 'nice' about it. I would rather die than let them kill my child. They knew it too.

"Carlisle wouldn't be very pleased."

"Carlisle is already not very pleased, considering you kidnapped me and all." I grumbled, looking away.

"You'll get over it."

My anger flared up, more than it ever had before in my years as a vampire. With a sudden impulse, I reached up to smack Aro hard across the face. He caught my wrist just inches from my face, smirking. He pressed my palm against his lips and kissed it, his fangs brushing against my marble skin.

"Don't make me, Esme."

"Go to hell."

With his other hand he smacked me. I heard the sound before I felt it. He jerked my wrist, pulling me closer with a sudden growl. I was too stunned to even function - no one had hit me since Charles. It brought back a flood of unwanted memories, and I had to force back dry sobs once more. My cheek stung for a long moment as Aro grabbed my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. I glared back.

"Now I suggest you be a good girl and play nice, or I will have you executed."

Without another word, he shoved me away, my back hitting one of the pillars that helped support the roof. He moved to sit on one of the thrones, watching me intently as I stood there, unsure of what to do. I wasn't going to let Aro see me weak - that would be wrong on my part. I couldn't let Carlisle down.

Sighing, I sank down the pillar, my back pressed up against it as I sat on the floor, bringing my knees to my chest.

I realized my mistake a second too late.

A sharp pain ripped through my entire body and I bit back a scream. I heard several ribs crack a second before I felt the pain. Darkness clouded at the edges of my vision as something else cracked - it felt like my pelvis this time. Aro was suddenly beside me on the ground - when had I suddenly been laying on my back?

I didn't have time to ponder the question as something in my back snapped.

I didn't bother to hold back a scream.


	6. Chapter 6

I had never felt so much pain in my entire life.

Drugs didn't work on me, and the more they moved and fussed about me, the more pain I was in. It felt like someone taking a white hot poker to my insides, slowly burning me from the inside out. I wanted to cry and scream and beg them to kill me because of the pain, but I didn't. Instead I gritted my teeth and clutched at the sheets surrounding me.

I had been told they were deciding what to do - if they wanted to go ahead and remove the baby, and let it die, or wait until I came to what they deemed full term (which would be in the next few days) and then decide to murder it. I wasn't going to let either happen, if I had a say about it.

That had been yesterday. Sometime yesterday at least, after I'd collapsed. They were debating if they should remove the baby or not - according to their doctors and what they had learned from raiding Carlisle's study, I needed more hormones.

My body was starting to reject the baby, causing it to literally attempt to claw its way out and break my ribs, pelvis, and part of my spine in the process. My spine had healed since yesterday, though every time my ribs or pelvis healed, the baby would start its antics up again and they'd snap instantly.

And oh God did it hurt.

They'd moved me to some sort of bedroom after I'd had the episode yesterday, and I had been locked in it ever since. It had a miraculous view of the city out of the tiny window, but it did little to soothe me. I was locked in a rather lavish bedroom, kept prisoner of the Volturi who were going to kill my child. If that happened, it would be a near repeat with my first child, although he had died of a lung infection, and not been murdered in cold blood.

I winced as I shifted on the bed, my gaze falling on the glass of blood on the nightstand. I knew it was human - they were trying to conform me to their diet. I wasn't about to give up my vegetarian diet now, not after how long it had taken me to regain control. It'd be letting Carlisle down. But I wasn't sure how long I could go without nourishment - I could feel the burn in my throat, and in the bathroom, my reflection in the mirror showed my eyes were completely black, the darkest I had ever seen them. I'd never let myself get this hungry before.

I stood, examining myself in the mirror. I looked like death warmed over. I felt like it - I probably shouldn't have been standing, but I hated sitting so long. I felt useless. Even if I had several bones shattered and a little monster moving inside of me, I tried to ignore the pain. It'd be over soon anyway - I only hoped Carlisle would be there.

"You are going to be the death of me." I couldn't help but mutter to my stomach. I received a sharp kick against my hand in response and I winced, but smiled. The girl was strong. It didn't matter to me that she was probably going to destroy my body when she finally did decide to emerge into the world. She was strong and healthy as far as I could tell when she moved and kicked and shattered my bones, which was more important than anything.

When I emerged back into the bedroom, I stopped, surprised to find several Volturi members I had never seen before. These were not in long dark cloaks, surprisingly, and looked at me expectantly.

"We have our orders." One of them spoke.

"And what would that be?"

"Extract the child."

I paled, stepping back instinctively. I knew I wouldn't be able to fight against them. As if sensing my distress, I felt the baby move rather violently, nearly doubling me over in pain as something snapped. Another rib.

"Don't make this harder than it has to be."

They were going to kill her.

That thought apparently channeled to the little monster inside of me, and I could feel her protesting violently. The shift was familiar - I cried out in pain as she moved, snapping my spine once more in the process.

At least I wouldn't feel anything now.

One of the Volturi members caught me before I hit the floor, no longer able to stand. It was a wonder I was still conscious - I'd passed out the first time. Now it just ticked me off that my spine had been broken, again. How that was possible, I wasn't sure.

They carried me to the bed, laying me flat on my broken back. They wasted no time in tugging up my shirt, one of them stepping forward. It was then that I realized no scalpel could pierce my skin. They were going to have to literally rip it out of me.

Again, I was glad I wouldn't be able to feel it now.

"Don't hurt her." I whispered, but it seemed they ignored me.

I shut my eyes tightly as I felt a brief tug, before the sound of ripping flesh. There was no blood, nothing like Bella's had been. Just a clean tear, and what felt like a pair of claws raking down my insides before the sound of a screaming child filled the room.

They took her from the room before I could even see her.

"No!" I cried and attempted to move, but two pairs of hands on either side of me pinned me down while they sealed my stomach back up with venom. My spine was still shattered, and I couldn't move, leaving me to my protests and furious yelling instead of getting up and actually doing something about my baby being taken away.

They ignored me.

I was left alone in the room not long after, the quiet suddenly driving me insane. It felt odd to no longer feel movement in my stomach, and when I ran my hands across my abdomen, it was smooth, the skin already snapping back into place like a piece of rubber that had been stretched. I looked like I'd never been pregnant at all, except for the long scar that remained.

I felt I had lost a part of me already. I had never even gotten to see her. They were that cruel - she was probably already dead now. I'd never see her, never get to hold her. It was like déjà vu with my first son - part of me sarcastically wondered where the nearest cliff was so I could go throw myself off it.

Only this time, Carlisle wouldn't be there to save me. I'd lay there, broken at the bottom of them until my body healed itself in a few hours time. Maybe if I threw myself in a fire. . . .

It was then I realized how stupid I was being. I couldn't kill myself. I still had a family that cared for me, and I cared for them. Leaving them would be stupid when they needed me - they were undoubtedly forming a battle plan for the Volturi as I laid there

It took my spine four hours to heal itself. As I pushed myself up, I was ready to tear apart the entire Volturi castle looking for my daughter, and kill anyone in my way.

Although, I was saved the trip as a familiar blonde stepped through the door, not even bothering to knock. I growled, but she held up one hand in surrender.

"Don't attack me. I'm just the messenger." Heidi said carefully, stepping forward and shutting the door with her foot. I eyed her suspiciously.

"What do you want? Come to kill me?"

She snorted.

"Hardly. I'm here to tell you that the execution of your daughter has been suspended until New Year's Eve. Aro's going to make an example of her."

My nostrils glared, anger welling up in me again. An example of her? What, so other vampires knew not to procreate?! Apparently they weren't going to listen to me about it being a good thing. And they were probably going to make me watch my daughter be slaughtered in front of an entire crowd of vampires, who'd probably enjoy the spectacle - it was those types the Volturi invited to their parties anyway.

"Calm down." Heidi snapped at me and my lip curled upward almost in a snarl. "You're lucky he's doing that. It means you get to have her, at least until New Years." She muttered. New Years was three weeks away.

I watched Heidi pull back her cloak to reveal the small wriggling form snuggled in a soft white blanket in her arms. I frowned slightly as she held it out to me.

"Take her. They put me in charge of her and she can't stand me. Already bit me twice." She grumbled. I took the baby in my arms, shifting my arms into the universal baby holding position. Heidi was gone from the room as fast as she came, the door slamming behind her. I pulled the blanket back away from the baby's face and an unneeded breath hitched in my throat. She was beautiful.

Her skin was an ivory white, the same color as mine. Curls of pale blonde hair a shade lighter than Carlisle's was visible on top of her little head, and when she opened her eyes they were the bluest eyes I had ever seen. She yawned and I could clearly see the little razor sharp teeth. But she was beautiful, prettier than I could have ever imagined.

I sat down on the edge of the bed, suddenly feeling warm and fuzzy all over, just like I had felt with my first son. I'd loved him so much, and I'd been willing to die for him, just as I was for this little girl. If that meant going down with her at the hands of the Volturi, then oh well. There was no way I was letting her go now.

It was almost a dream, like I'd wake up back in Alaska, and none of this had happened. But this was real. She was real. My daughter. Carlisle's daughter. _Our_ daughter. The latter held much more significant meaning to me - Carlisle had never had a son or daughter of flesh and blood, so he'd never felt the real parental bond that I strived to reach with Edward and my other 'adopted' children. Now he would.

If we lived long enough.

I felt a tugging on my finger and looked down - she'd grabbed a hold of my finger and was trying to tug it toward her mouth. Apparently she was hungry. And I only had human blood, which had been placed in a small refrigerator half hidden by the nightstand. They still wanted me to conform to their diet - I wasn't about to. But there would be plenty of time for her to change to being a vegetarian. For now, I'd have to get over the fact that she was going to drink human blood that innocents had probably been slain for.

Grabbing a packet of it out of the thing, I used my teeth to rip a tiny hole in one corner. I didn't exactly have bottles or any of the sorts to care for her properly, so it'd have to do. And she seemed to like it, as I had barely lowered the packet toward her when her little hands came up and tugged it toward her mouth, her lips sucking eagerly around the hole I had made. Apparently she didn't have a preference in blood like I did.

Watching her made my throat burn horrifically, but I managed, ignoring it and waiting until she got done, tossing the empty bag on the nightstand. She blinked up at me afterward, as if expecting me to say something.

"Well, I do believe you need a name." I said gently, getting back to my feet and quietly going toward the window. The sun was rising, its rays coming directly through the window. It hit my skin, causing it to glitter like thousands of diamonds. She reached a pale hand up to touch my chest as it glittered, as if trying to grab onto the diamonds. I shifted her to where the sun would shine on her arm - she glittered too, and it almost alarmed her for a moment, before she grabbed at her arm with her other hand. I smiled - barely a few hours old and sharp as a tack. She'd have Carlisle's intelligence for sure.

"So, names . . . ." I murmured. Carlisle and I had discussed it a few times, but had never settled on a name. "You think you can wait until we get back to daddy?" I asked, half expecting her to understand. Instead, she just continued to grab at her arm and the nonexistent little diamonds.

I found I could no longer sleep, and I found I didn't want to. Watching my little girl was all I wanted to do. I sat all day with her on the bed, just watching her, discovering little things here or there. She didn't like loud noises, and she liked colors. She liked to be tickled only at certain times, and her laughter was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard in the world.

Aro returned at sundown.

I hadn't noticed him at first, because I had been watching her sleep. But his shadow cast over her pale face and I looked up - he looked almost amused. I replaced the smile on my face, with a glare.

"Can I help you with something?" I asked, a bit softer than I'd wanted. I'd wanted to scream at him, but I refrained from doing so, for fear it would wake her up.

"I'm here to offer you a . . . proposition of sorts, Esme." He said quietly. He looked from my daughter to my face, his eyes a deep burgundy in color.

"I don't want anything you have to offer."

"If it saved your daughter's life?"

". . . You have my attention."

"I've been speaking with Marcus and Caius, and I've managed to get them to agree on something." He said slowly, stepping further into the room. "Your family is obviously going to come for you and your child. We'll show you to them, prove that you are unharmed, and you will be allowed to go free, as long as you leave your child with us to be destroyed at New Years Eve." He said. I opened my mouth to protest instantly, but he cut across me. "Or, you can be allowed to remain here. You will have the freedom to move about the city and the castle with a small guard, and your child will be allowed to live. You alone will be responsible to make sure it doesn't . . . slip up. If you fail, you both die."

He really wasn't giving me good options here. I stared at him a moment longer, but he put both his hands up in defense.

"You don't have to tell me your answer now -."

"I'll do it. I'll stay here." I said quickly, my mind already working. If I stayed, I had a chance at escape eventually. And it would put Carlisle and the others out of danger.

"Are you sure, Esme?"

"As long as she and I can live peacefully, and I get to see my family."

"Oh, don't worry. They're going to be invited to the New Years Eve party I'm hosting - I'm sure they won't pass up the chance." He grinned furiously. "But first, if you're going to remain here, with us . . ." He paused, removing a packet of blood from his robes and holding it out to me.

"You can't let yourself starve."


	7. Chapter 7

_Your reviews are so lovely! At the end of this story, I will be thanking each and every one of you by name, so keep those reviews coming! Yes, I beg. But I'm glad so many are enjoying the story! Continue to do so! Also, this chapter is rather short compared to my others, but mostly because of all the awesome stuff that takes place in the next chapter. Enjoy!_

**. . .**

"I want to help you."

I looked up at the blonde vampire seated beside me on the fountain. Another night in Volterra had fallen, and the square had emptied of humans. Every once in a while I could see one of the Volturi moving in the shadows, but the only ones really visible were myself, Heidi, the two guards that had been assigned to me, and my daughter.

The guards lurked a distance off, leaving Heidi and myself to our privacy, while my daughter leaned out of my arms to splash and play with the falling water. She had grown in the past three days - she looked to be at least a few months old now.

In those past three days, though, it seemed I had finally made one friend.

Heidi had stopped by to check on my daughter - apparently the woman had taken a liking to the girl. It was odd, but I could see the look in her eyes. It had been the same one I'd held for many years, the want for a child. I never knew Volturi had the ability to actually have hearts. But Heidi seemed truly to care, more so than the others I had come across.

"I don't think you can." I replied quietly, staring up at the sky. It was hard to see the stars from inside a large city like Volterra, but I could still pick them out. Part of me wondered if Carlisle was looking at the same stars.

"I can get you your animal blood." She said, and I glanced at her, the mention of it nearly making me crazy. I had resisted human blood for three days longer. Aro was still persistent about it, however, and would not leave me alone about it.

"My eye color would be topaz, not red." I pointed out.

"Contacts." She shrugged.

"Why do you want to help me?" I asked after a long moment, looking over at her as I used my free hand to draw my black cloak tighter around me. It wasn't cold - not like I could feel it - but I had a sudden chill up my spine. The feeling of being watched by guards was not welcoming. Heidi stared at me for a fleeting second, letting out a soft sigh.

"Because I would hate to actually see your child murdered. It's more for her than for you." She nodded toward my little girl, who was oblivious, entranced by the way the lights reflected off the water.

"How do I know you won't trick me or something?" I asked warily. She chuckled, almost darkly.

"You don't. It's a little thing called trust, Esme Cullen. And you should trust me when I tell you that your family is in Volterra."

I blinked at her, a disbelieving look on my features. She merely grinned.

"Does Aro know?"

"Of course. He just chooses to ignore the fact. He's been having them watched though, so you can't go visit them, and they can't visit you." She replied. "But they're planning."

"I knew that." I shrugged. Of course they were planning. They wanted me back, and were probably willing to do anything it took.

"They're going to get themselves killed with their plans too. They actually plan to infiltrate our castle. As if that's possible." She scoffed, shaking her head. I arched an eyebrow at her. She was a bit full of herself. Although, I knew she was right. Attempting to infiltrate a castle full of vampires, kidnap a woman and her child, get back out, and make it out of a city full of vampires was impossible. And it would be suicide to whoever attempted it.

"So what are you going to do? Get me out?"

"I'm going to help you as much as I can while you're here, but I think I know a way of getting you out." She said quietly, glancing toward the guards that were coming back toward us. I read her face, understanding that she would inform me later.

In the distance I heard the sounds of the early risers of the humans beginning to awaken and start their days as it drifted into the early hours of the morning, and the guards were coming to escort us back to the castle. I got to my feet, pulling my daughter with me, away from the water. She looked up at me with a questioning look and an almost pout that reminded me so much of myself, I couldn't help but smile. She was too cute for words.

Heidi veered off down a hallway on her own as I returned to my room, the room that had become my prison. Apparently if things went well, I'd be getting my own suite of rooms. I wasn't going to be here long enough for that though. I was determined not to be.

I carefully placed my daughter on the bed, folding the comforter around her in a way so that she wouldn't roll off the bed. She was tugging at the small little outfit she wore, clearly unpleased with it. But it was one of the few Heidi had brought me when she'd come to visit, so it would have to work for now.

"Would you quit trying to get away from me?" I asked, the last of my words coming out in a giggle as she rolled toward the other end of the bed. I grabbed her by the tiny feet and gave a little tug, watching as she squealed with laughter. I tried to shush her, but I was laughing myself, making it difficult.

If only Carlisle were there to share it with me, it would have been the perfect moment.

I tugged her back toward me and placed her back onto her back so that she was grinning up at me. She reached for my hair that hung down in my face - I had learned yesterday that she liked anything shiny and smooth, which included my hair, water, and vampire skin in the sun. It didn't hurt, so I let her tug on it happily.

The door swung open and Heidi slipped in, shutting it behind her silently. She was on the other side of the bed before I could even move. I frowned, but said nothing as she sat down, smiling fondly at my little girl before her gaze met mine.

"Have you ever been to a Volturi New Years party?"

I shook my head. She grinned, flashing perfect white teeth in my direction.

"For starters, they're masked." She said. "And to add to the confusion, each vampire in attendance masks their scent with special perfumes, so you can't identify who's behind the mask by scent." She continued. "Aro said your family had been invited - it's the perfect time. No one will know who they are, and if we do it right, no one will know you either. You can just slip away."

She had a good plan, only there were a few flaws.

"The guards?"

"Too busy enjoying themselves."

"I can't exactly slip out with a child in my arms."

"She'll look like, what? A three year old by that time? Something like that." She waved a dismissive hand. "Anyway, it'll just look like she's a little girl you turned to save from death or whatever it is that your husband does." She shrugged. "If we do it right, it should work smoothly."

"I trust you."

She grinned again, sticking a pale hand in extension toward me. I curled my fingers around hers and shook it.

"I promise I won't let anything happen to her." She said, nodding toward the child between us, who was reaching for my hair again. I noticed how she barely even said anything about letting anything happen to myself. But at least I knew how to take care of myself, if it came to it.

"And, before I forget," She paused, reaching into her robes and removing several packets of blood. "Deer. It's the best I can get at the moment." She held them out to me and I almost wanted to hug her. I took them, grateful with the knowledge I would no longer have to starve myself to keep to my diet. She pulled several small black cases out as well, producing them from what appeared to be nowhere, holding them out toward me too.

"What are these?"

"Contacts. Four sets, just in case. Try to wear them all the time." Heidi explained and I nodded, only hoping the red would cover up the topaz well enough. I nodded and leaned over, setting them on the nightstand. "I have to go to a meeting now, but I'll try to get you the finer details of your escape soon. I can't be coming in here all the time or they'll suspect something." She stated, suddenly at the door. "Goodbye Esme."

"Goodbye Heidi."

She left and I sighed. The woman almost reminded me of Rosalie. I ripped open one of the blood packets and literally inhaled its contents, finishing off it and the other two she had brought me. My thirst quenched, I tossed the empty packets in the trash, feeling quite satisfied. Convinced the baby would be all right for two seconds, I disappeared into the bathroom.

My eyes had shifted to a light topaz in color, so I opened a pair of the contacts Heidi had brought and slipped them in. They covered the gold of my irises completely, changing them to a bright red in their place. It was odd, seeing myself with red eyes, but I knew I had to live with it for a few days.

The feeling of the contacts would take some getting used to, but if everything went as planned, I'd only have to suffer for three weeks.

New Years Eve was in three weeks, and my chance of escape was coming with it.


	8. Chapter 8

_Sorry for the delay. wouldn't let me upload my documents. But here is a much longer chapter, and hopefully much more exciting!_

**. . .**

I felt odd, wearing the layers of silk. I hadn't worn anything formal in a long time. I was surprised they weren't more old fashioned with these things - the dress I had been brought was more modern in it's deep red color. I wondered if they were trying to be funny, dressing me up in the color of blood. But I didn't say a word, as tonight I would finally get out of here.

They had people come in and do my hair, oddly enough. Apparently they thought I was incapable of doing it, or were afraid to leave me alone with hot curlers because I might hurt someone. If I wanted to hurt one of them, I would have done it long ago. It was almost like they didn't think I was a vampire, because they were treating me like I was a little fragile human.

I gazed at my reflection in the mirror like I had been doing the past twenty minutes. I had already put my last set of contacts in, my hair had been pulled back into a silver butterfly clip, and I looked like I was ready to go to a party. I wanted to rip it all off and throw it at them.

Something tugged at the skirt of my dress and I grabbed the top to keep it from sliding down - I'd always hated strapless dresses. Not to mention the force pulling it was strong as my own. I bent down and swept my daughter up, sitting her on the edge of the sink. She looked like a toddler now, able to walk and run, usually without tripping over herself. She was dressed up too, only in pale blue. She wouldn't wear a mask, but I was keeping her by my side at all times during the night.

"Pretty mummy." She said, looking up at me. I smiled at her and kissed her forehead.

"Thank you angel." I murmured into her hair, pulling her into a tight hug. She could speak, but not very well, as I had little time to help her with her words. It was more of broken English. She still didn't understand why the vampires around us her bad, either. I hadn't explained to her why they were bad, but she knew I didn't like them.

I had been mulling over names in my head the past few weeks as well, and had picked out one, Andrea. It was pretty, yet modern, and she just looked like an Andrea to me. I didn't want to pick a name without Carlisle just yet, but I had taken to calling her Andrea, just because I didn't want to refer to her as 'it', 'she', or 'her', and her to pick up that those words were her name.

There was a soft knock on my bedroom door from the outside. Calling that I would be right there, I grabbed my mask on the side of the sink and helped my daughter down. She looked excited - I didn't want to ruin her fun by telling her we wouldn't be staying at the party.

I slipped the silver mask on, not too happy about not being able to see out of my peripheral vision. It was going to be awful - Heidi had said all the scents would be confused, so you couldn't tell who was who by their scents. Mine had been masked in a strong vanilla perfume that nearly made me gag after they'd literally drowned me in the stuff.

There were two masked Volturi members at my door. One of them held out a black cloak to me that I tugged on over my dress - apparently some sort of tradition, so you could at least distinguish who not to piss off during the night. I took Andrea by the hand as we were escorted toward the soft sounds of music playing, coming from the throne room.

Couples swirled in the middle of the room, a mix of vibrant colors and familiar scents. They mingled together, almost blending in with the vampires that stood around the edges of the room, holding crystal goblets of what I knew to be blood, of the human kind. I lingered in the hall for a long moment, unsure of what to do as I pulled Andrea closer to me. She too seemed entranced by the colors.

"You look lovely as always." Aro said, striding toward me, the edges of his cloak billowing out around him as he took my free hand, pressing a kiss to it. He was the only one - along with Caius and Marcus, I assumed - who did not wear masks. They were there to watch, not enjoy. His gaze slipped to Andrea and he gave a bow in her direction. The girl shuffled behind me, clutching at my dress, hiding her face. She wasn't shy - she just knew I hated Aro with every fiber of my being.

"Remarkable how she's grown." He mused. "Would you like something to drink?"

"No, thank you." I replied curtly. It was hard to believe that if I had not agreed to this little truce, my daughter would be slaughtered in front of all these people tonight. The thought made me nearly cringe, and suddenly I no longer wanted to be there. But I had to be. I silently inhaled deeply, attempting to calm myself down.

"How about a dance?" He offered a gloved hand in my direction.

"Maybe in just a bit." I said, and before he could say anything else, I led Andrea across the room, stepping up onto the raised platform that the thrones sat on, where others stood and mingled, watching the crowd. My eyes scanned it over and over again, trying to find sight of Heidi, or one of the members of my family. She'd promised they'd be here tonight, it was just only a matter of finding them.

A familiar waltz began to play - I still had yet to figure out where the music was coming from - and I was surprised when a masked gentleman approached me. He extended a hand toward me, but said nothing. I looked at him - something about him gave me the sudden urge to actually dance with him. I couldn't see his face, yet he seemed familiar. Frowning slightly, I turned to find Andrea to tell her to wait, but Heidi had already swept the girl up and was dancing with her a few feet away. Heidi winked at me - her mask was off as well. I turned back to the gentleman in front of me and took his hand, allowing him to sweep me out onto the dance floor.

Distracted, I barely paid any attention to dancing. Yet my movements were flawless, the dance rather familiar to me - I had danced this particular waltz with Carlisle many times. My eyes were on Heidi and Andrea the entire time, but they seemed fine, as I could hear my daughter giggling even from here.

As the gentleman spun me, he finally spoke.

"I don't believe we've danced like this in years."

I nearly stumbled at the voice, but he grinned, carefully supporting me so that I did not fall and that we continued to flawlessly dance. I knew that voice.

I opened my mouth, my face lighting up behind my mask, but Carlisle only pressed a finger to his lips, grinning. I tried to compose myself, and forced my body to cooperate. It wasn't like I could tackle him to the ground right here in front of all the Volturi.

My mind reeling, I could only smile like a giddy schoolgirl as the waltz finished. We stopped and clapped with the rest of everyone else. Carlisle took my hand and pressed a kiss to my knuckles, as if it were any other gentleman, thanking me for the dance.

"I do believe its time we took our leave." He murmured and offered me his arm. I took it, and we acted as any other couple leaving. It would be midnight in less than fifteen minutes, so people would be distracted, passing around drinks, all to toast to the New Year. Heidi was supposed to meet us outside with Andrea, so hopefully she would come up with her end of the deal and not just keep the girl for the Volturi.

However, at the door, we met our problem.

"Leaving so soon?" Aro said, blocking out only exit.

"I was escorting this gentleman to his car after a lovely dance. I'm afraid he has to miss the New Years toast because he has a previous appointment. And a bit of fresh air for myself would feel lovely." I replied quickly, surprised at how well the little lie tumbled out. I had never liked lying, but this called for it. Aro glanced at me, and then Carlisle. He smiled.

"Thank you for coming." Aro reached a pale hand out toward Carlisle. I saw a fraction of movement before Carlisle shook his hand - I panicked for a moment, until I realized Carlisle was wearing gloves, having pulled them on while I wasn't looking. Aro looked almost disappointed.

"I will be right back." I said to Aro, but he didn't move.

"We can call the guards to escort him back to his car. Wouldn't want you getting lost."

"I'll be quite fine."

"I'd feel a bit safer if you took guards with you. Or if I knew who your lovely escort was." He glanced at Carlisle, the smile never leaving his face. I felt Carlisle's hand move up to remove his mask, but I gave him a discreet nudge. He met my gaze, but merely smiled as he reached up and removed his mask. If possible, Aro's smile got wider.

"Ah, nice try my dear friend." He said. "But your wife stays with us. She agreed."

A chill ran up my spine as I shook my head.

"No, Aro. I'm going home with my family, and you're not stopping me."

There was a long silence, and I noticed that the dancing had stopped, as well as the music. The entire crowd was watching us with interest now. Apparently we were the entertainment for the night.

"Aren't you forgetting one little detail?" He asked and looked over my shoulder. I turned - the crowd parted and I saw Marcus striding forward, a struggling Andrea in his arms. She was trying to bite him, her nails raking down his arm, but it did no good. He held onto her like a lifeline, not letting her slip.

"Mummy!" She cried when she saw me and my heart wrenched out of my chest. I let go of Carlisle to run toward her, but the way was suddenly blocked by several Volturi guards, all masked, looking quite agitated with me. I glared, but they did not move.

"You leave and she dies."

"Let her go Aro. Now." I said, not turning around, my voice dangerously low.

"No."

"Yes."

"Well, as much as I hate to break up this little fight, I do believe that we have a plane to catch." A familiar voice said at the back of the room. I looked up, surprised to see Emmett standing there, a large grin plastered across his face as he removed his mask.

"I don't want this to become a bloodbath, but if you attempt to leave, it will become one." Aro said from behind me. I turned, moving past Carlisle and striding up to him. I was shorter than he was, but I could still be intimidating. I was a mother of six teenagers and a toddler - I could put the fear of God into any man who crossed my path.

"You're going to get a bloodbath if you do not let her go right now, and allow my family and I to walk out these doors, get on a plane, and fly back to our home."

Aro merely grinned, looking over my shoulder once more. The crowd had backed up against the platform except for the many Volturi guard that had stepped forward, and entered the room from various halls. We were surrounded, with every exit blocked. Great.

"What's it going to be Esme?"

I heard a sudden strangled yell come from Marcus behind several members of the guard, before something hit the ground and the sound of running feet was brought to my ears. I paled, and ran forward.

It seemed to spark something, because all at once people collided around me. My family with the guard - somewhere Jacob and the wolves had come from and were forcing back more of the guards. But my attention was on the blonde haired child that had just rounded a corner down a hallway. I ran after her.

"Andrea, stop!"

Bella's description of Alice's vision suddenly played out before me as I ran down the hall after Andrea, passing doors and other halls. This place was a maze! It probably ran underground all of Volterra and more.

I finally caught up to her toward the end of the hall, my arm coming around her waist and scooping her up into my arms. She screamed until she realized it was me, upon which she promptly clung to me. I turned to run, but once more, Aro blocked my path.

"One more step and I will break your neck."

I froze, unsure of what to do. He glanced behind him - Heidi came around the corner and stepped forward, a wide smile on her face.

"You'll be free to go. As soon as you hand us the child." He said as Heidi grew closer, holding her arms out for my daughter. I clutched her tighter, pulling her away.

"No."

Aro's face darkened.

"The child is against our rules. She must be destroyed." He growled darkly. How many times was he going to tell me that? And he'd apparently changed his mind again about destroying her.

Somewhere down the hall, the clock struck midnight with twelve loud tolls.

"You'll have to kill me first." I hissed furiously. Aro merely pressed his lips into a thin line.

"That, my dear, can be arranged."


	9. Chapter 9

Andrea's nails were digging into my marble skin as she glared at Aro, trying to look ferocious. Had we not been fighting for our lives at that very moment, it would have been cute. Aro continued to step forward toward us, and I stepped back until my back was pressed against the wall. I was cornered, trapped like a rat. Aro reached for Andrea, but a harsh snarl came from behind him, and the next thing I knew, Carlisle stood between us, pressing back against me protectively.

"You're not hurting them, Aro." He stated.

"Get out of the way Carlisle, my fight is not with you." Aro hissed, not taking his eyes off Andrea. Her eyes suddenly got very wide, and I watched as Aro's eye twitched for a long moment, before he stumbled toward the wall, seizing violently. Heidi rushed forward to help him, as Carlisle took my hand and led me out of there.

Through a maze of halls and we had stumbled out into the cool night air. It was the deserted circle with the fountain, except my family and the wolves awaited toward the corner. Andrea buried her face in my neck as we ran, through the streets of Italy. My mind was whirling - we were almost away.

But I was curious as to why Aro had collapsed into seizures. I was grateful we were able to get away, but I couldn't stop myself from wondering. The way Andrea had looked at him . . . .

"Come on, Esme." Alice said from beside me as we reached the outskirts of Volterra. There were several cars lying in wait within the shadows of the large wall that surrounded the city that we headed toward. We split up into them - I ended up in the car with Jasper, Alice, and Rose.

We didn't speak as Jasper sped off in the dark, but Rose couldn't take her eyes off Andrea, who had fallen asleep in my arms. I didn't understand how she was able to sleep, but I merely held her. We weren't out of the woods yet, but we soon would be. At least, I hoped.

"Does she have a name?" Rose asked finally.

"Andrea." I replied softly, shifting her in my arms and carefully holding her out to Rose. She stared at the girl for a long moment before taking her - Andrea shifted into her arms easily, still sleeping peacefully.

"Hey there, little sister." Rose murmured, brushing blonde curls from the child's pale, rounded face. I smiled, my worries about Andrea fitting in completely disappeared in that moment. As my worries about Andrea disappeared, my longing for Carlisle increased sharply. I just wanted him to hold me - I hadn't seen him for real in ages. My foot tapped anxiously against the floorboards of the car as I shifted around in the layers of the dress I wore. Disgusted, I reached up and pulled the bobby pins from my hair, curls falling freely across my shoulders.

We arrived at an airport, and before I could asked, Alice had pulled out her cell phone, and was directing us to a private gate.

"Private jet. Safer." Jasper murmured low in my ear. "The others are on a flight that leaves in half an hour."

"The Volturi could be here by then."

"Which is why we're getting you out of her, mom." Alice called fleetingly over her shoulder. "But didn't I promise you everything would be fine? I meant it."

An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of my stomach, but I trusted Alice, and followed them, boarding the rather high class jet. We took off literally before I could get to my seat, at which point Rose set Andrea down on her own two feet and watching her run happily back and forth, up and down the aisle. At one end Rose waited for her, at the other, Alice, taking turns trying to catch her. Andrea's squealing laughter filled the cabin, and I smiled.

"Gotcha!" Alice called and grabbed Andrea, holding her upside down and blowing a raspberry on her stomach. She giggled, kicking her feet, trying to wriggle out of Alice's grasp. I was glad she didn't have to worry about things that we did. She didn't know there were monsters after her, only that there were bad people her family didn't like and were keeping them away from her a lot. It was good she didn't have to worry about it though, because just her bright presence seemed to relieve the stress of Rose, Alice, Jasper, and myself.

"Here."

I looked up - through most of the flight, Alice held out a Styrofoam cup with a lid and straw to me. I took it, instantly recognizing the rusty smell of the blood sloshing inside. I smiled gratefully as she took a tray of the cups toward where Rose and Jasper were telling a story to Andrea, complete with arm motions. Andrea grabbed one and drank it greedily - hopefully it wouldn't be hard to wean her off human blood, and switch her to animal.

The good thing about a private jet was the fact that we didn't have to disembark when we had to stop in Florida for a re-fueling. It was extremely hot and sunny outside, and as my skin sparkled in the sunlight streaming from the window, Andrea darted forward and crawled into my lap, trying to grab the sparkles. I smiled and pulled her into a tight hug, kissing the top of her head. She stuck her arm out into the sunlight next to mine.

"Look mommy! I sparkle too!" She grinned up at me and I smiled, nodding.

"You sure do."

She stared at her sparkling skin a moment longer before leaping out of my lap as we took off again, headed for home.

I couldn't wait.

The flight seemed to take longer than needed before we landed in Alaska, and I stepped out of the airport and into the familiar streets. We'd finally changed out of the formal wear and into normal, casual clothes. It was a cloudy, overcast day, so we didn't have to be concerned about the long sleeves to hide our skin.

We got in Carlisle's Mercedes that waited for us in the parking lot and began the journey back home. It was starting to snow outside, and Andrea had her face pressed to the window, watching it with a spark of curiosity in her eyes.

"What's that, mommy?"

"Snow, Andrea. It's cold, but fun to play in."

"Can we play?"

"Maybe when we get home." I held her tight in my arms, the idea of home sounding more and more welcoming.

Nothing had changed about our home since I had been gone, I noticed, as the five of us headed inside. Andrea instantly took off, roaming the house with interest as fast as her little legs would carry her. Alice happily took off after her while Jasper pulled out his cell phone, chatting with Edward on the other line. Rose sat on the edge of the couch, obviously worried about the other members of our family. Bella suddenly came from the kitchen with Renesmee - she had stayed behind because of Renesmee. She smiled at my presence and darted toward me, drawing me into a tight hug.

"Hi mom." She whispered, then looked around, spotting Andrea as she ran back down the stairs with Alice. "Is this her?"

"Yes. Andrea, come here. I want you to meet your family." I said - I'd already told her about Rose, Jasper, and Alice on the plane, obviously, and mentioned Emmett, Edward, and Carlisle. Bella and Renesmee were the last two. "This is your sister Bella, okay? And this is her daughter, your niece Renesmee. Or Nessie." I nodded to the copper haired girl in Bella's arm. Andrea blinked at Renesmee, who stretched a hand toward Andrea's face, touching her cheek. There was a silent exchange between the children before Andrea leaned out of my arms and hugged Renesmee tightly.

"They just landed in Seattle. The wolves are headed home, and the others are taking a connecting flight here. They should be home within three hours." Jasper suddenly reported from the corner, shutting the cell phone.

It would be the longest three hours of my life.

I tried to spend it showing Andrea around, and the room that would become her new room - she was already picking out different shades of pinks she wanted in it - but the tour of her home only took half an hour. I turned to spending it in my bedroom, but it smelled too much of Carlisle - I'd never missed him so much in my life. Agitated, I headed outside with the others to play with Andrea in the snow.

She hadn't aged anymore, oddly enough - she had been growing every hour back in Italy. Now she seemed to have slowed to a stop. Yet that didn't stop her from nearly tackling Alice to the ground - although, that was more of Alice's part, pretending to fall into the snow before teaching her how to make a snow angel.

I stood off to one side, watching. Jasper was now acting as an 'evil monster', chasing Andrea and Rose, who both ran screaming away from him. Alice declared herself the knight in shining armor, off to save the princesses.

Andrea suddenly turned and looked directly at Jasper, her eyes darkening slightly. Jasper collapsed on the ground, convulsing like Aro had done before. In a split second I had made it across the yard and pulled her into my arms, breaking her eye contact with Jasper, who gasped and writhed in pain. Alice helped him stumble to his feet as I looked down at Andrea.

"I killed the evil monster!"

"Andrea, we do not hurt family. I don't want you to ever do that to someone again, understand?" I said, my stern tone obviously getting through as she looked up at me with wide eyes.

"Sorry mommy."

"Apologize to your brother, young lady."

Andrea looked over at Jasper, looking as though she might cry.

"Sorry Jasper! I didn't mean to!" She wailed. Jasper reached for her and she crawled into his arms. "I'm sorry!"

"It's okay. It didn't hurt too much. But if you ever see those bad men that tried to hurt you and mom again, you should use it against them, okay?"

"Mkay."

My sensitive hearing picked up the sound of a car coming up the drive. The others heard it too, because we turned. The scents of Emmett, Edward, and Carlisle hit me a split second later.

"Mom, go ahead." Jasper said. "I'll watch her. We'll meet you inside."

I looked at the others for confirmation - they all nodded. I smiled gratefully before running toward the front of the house. Carlisle was just stepping out of the driver's seat - Edward and Emmett passed me, headed for the back yard.

"Carlisle."

His gaze met mine as he slammed the car door- he'd changed clothes too. I smiled, running toward him and throwing myself into his arms. I inhaled his scent, letting it wash over me as I clung to him. He suddenly picked me up and spun me. I laughed, before he finally pulled me into a kiss - I could have cried. A weight had been lifted off my shoulders at seeing him.

"I missed you so much." I whispered, not able to let go, my hands curled around the fabric of his shirt. He pressed another kiss to the tip of my nose with a crooked grin.

"I won't ever let anything like that happen to you again." He cupped a hand against my cheek. "I promise."

"It wasn't your fault. Don't you even start blaming yourself, Carlisle Cullen."

"Its my fault, and I'm not going to stand out here in the snow arguing with you about it, Esme Cullen." He stated and I rolled my eyes, stealing another quick kiss.

"Come on. I want to see my other two sons."

He wrapped an arm around my waist protectively, nuzzling my hair as we walked toward the house, up the steps and inside. Our family was gathered around the living room in various places, embracing and talking in quiet tones. I pulled Edward and Emmett both into tight hugs before they retreated to their spouses. I looked at Carlisle.

"There's someone you need to meet." I said, excitedly, as I looked over - Andrea was playing with Renesmee on the floor in front of the couch, coloring pages spread out between them. Nessie was teaching her aunt how to color. "Andrea. Come here."

She obeyed, skipping over with her blonde curls bouncing along her shoulders. I knelt to her level, pulling Carlisle down with me. Andrea looked at him for a long moment, then to me.

"Andrea, this is your father, okay? You remember what I told you on the plane?"

She nodded, then turned her wide blue eyes back to Carlisle. She hesitated a moment before she stretched her arms toward him. He swept her into a tight hug and I smiled - it was almost cheesy, how warm and fuzzy I felt. I straightened, as did Carlisle, Andrea hooking her arms around his neck as he lifted her up.

We were home.

. . .

_Sorry for the shortness, but the story isn't over :D_


End file.
